Ep. 72: Visual Artist Brittney Leeanne Williams on Color, the Body, and the Art of Presence
Brittney Leeanne Williams in the studio, Los Angeles, CA, 2025. Photo by Cassandra Isbell
Brittney Leeanne Williams is a Los Angeles–based figurative painter originally from Pasadena, California, known for her evocative, spiritually layered work that often centers the Black body while merging human forms with architecture and landscape.
She has exhibited widely, including major solo shows in Los Angeles (2024), New York (2023), London, Paris, Chicago, Stockholm, Hong Kong, Berlin, and more. Her paintings are held in collections such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Columbus Museum, Georgia; and the He Art Museum, China.
The Body Is an Eye, 2025
oil on canvas 48 x 38 in. (121.9 x 96.5 cm.)
Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Yubo Dong, ofstudio
In this episode, Chrystal joins Brittney at her hotel after the Armory Show, where she is presenting new work with Alexander Berggruen gallery.
They discuss her creative journey, the evolution of her visual language, and how recurring motifs such as drapery, portals, and ritual intersect with her exploration of transcendence, presence, and absence.
Brittney shares her approach to color, including the symbolic and cultural significance of red as it relates to the Black experience, and talks about the balance between narrative, mystery, and witnessing in her practice.
Brittney Leeanne Williams Photo by Cassandra Isbell
Listeners also hear about Brittney’s early years in Pasadena, her time studying in Chicago, and how her sense of home and identity continues to shape her work. She reflects on what it means to create figurative art in this moment socially, politically, and culturally, and shares insights into her daily studio practice, sources of inspiration, and upcoming projects.
Stone in a Seeing Eye, 2025
oil on canvas 40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm.)
Copyright the artist. Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Yubo Dong, ofstudio
This episode is an enlightening conversation with a painter whose work interrogates the body, culture, and spirit while inviting audiences into a space of reflection and revelation.
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Referenced In This Podcast:
Brittney Leeanne Williams website
Front Page Image: Brittney Leeanne Williams Photo by Cassandra Isbell