L Williams
Visit L’s Linktree or follow her online: @octokoco on any social media
L Williams is an emerging artist based in Pottsboro. After attending Angelo State University and graduating with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2023, she returned to her hometown. In 2024, she began an internship with the Denison Arts Council.
Her work is primarily objective.* She uses visual and literary arts to express her thoughts about various experiences, whether they are personal to her or derived from the lives of others. Because her artwork is highly metaphorical, it can be viewed as being completely fictional or impartial. However, most of her fine art pieces are political at their core. Each detail drawn or painted alludes to something that exists in the real world: a feeling, an event, an injustice, an industry, or a person or group of people. Adapting these real-world elements into subtler concepts allows L to connect with viewers on equal ground.
* In art, “objective” refers to an artwork having discernable subject matter. A portrait, for example, would be objective, and an abstract artwork with no obvious subject would be considered non-objective.
Displaying artworks that cannot be taken literally prevents viewers from having an instant reaction to the message of the work and encourages them to instead engage with the piece openmindedly. L encourages viewers to ask questions about the artworks if they are so inclined. Creating and discussing these artworks is her attempt to foster compassion, understanding, and a sense of justice for marginalized or exploited peoples inside and outside of her community—a small act of grassroots activism.
However, not all of her pieces are made primarily to express sociopolitical themes. She is also a passionate practitioner of character design, and character art is what she enjoys the most. The majority of her characters possess bizzarre or uncanny qualities that make them unique: unconventional body shapes; tails, horns, or gills; and scars from magical mishaps can all be found in her character designs. It is her goal not only to produce visually interesting designs, but also to push those interacting with the characters to connect with others who do not fall under accepted conventions.
Whether the piece she’s working on is intended to share a message, to entertain others, or simply to entertain herself, L is deeply passionate about her work. She hopes that the stories her paintings, drawings, and writings tell can outgrow the confines of her own little life and eventually provide space for others to find community together… but until then, she just hopes that you enjoy them.
