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“ Where the Wind Often Blows” by Jeff Williams
Jeff Williams’ painting of the OSU Museum of Arts entrance is unveiled by, from left, Burns Hargis, Jeff Williams, Ann Hargis and Dick Fischer
Williams was one of five artists nationally to receive a 2025 Texas Ranch Fellowship from the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art. With the accompanying three-week painting residency on a remote Texas ranch, he produced 34 paintings, followed by a six-month curated exhibition of his work in the museum.
Williams’ focus on plein air, or outdoor scenes, has led him to invitation-only events from Maryland to Wisconsin to Texas where he returned with prestigious recognition.
He was the recipient of the“ Best Watercolor” award at the 2026 Teche Plein Air, a national juried event with 26 artists invited to paint in southern Louisiana. In addition, he was given the“ Best Body of Work” award based on his 10 paintings produced over five days during the event.
He joined 58 international artists at the Easton Plein Air 2021, in Easton, Md., the largest and most esteemed plein air event in the nation. His painting was selected as the third-place winner by the awards judge, President and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Daniel H. Weiss.
His work is currently showing at Terra Rosa Art Gallery in Guthrie; the Davis & Blevins Gallery in Saint Jo, Texas, and the Chicken Farm Art Center in San Angelo, Texas.
While Williams is hesitant to prescribe a path for other retirees, he does recommend considering some tactics that worked for him.
Take Time to“ Decompress.” His jump to painting was not immediate. After 31 years on the OSU staff, Williams took time to change his pace and soon realized,“ I don’ t have to rush anymore. I can be that old guy who drives slow and admires the scenery,” Williams laughed. Home improvements, slower-paced family visits, trips to the west and east, and recreational reading all helped him enter a new life.
Embrace an“ Intellectual Curiosity.” For Williams, that means asking a lot of“ what if.” I see things and I just wonder about them. How it works, why it looks the way it does, how was it built? I think we all need more wonder in our lives, and we have to seek it. I worry that growing technology around us does not encourage wonder.”
Get Out of the House. Williams discovered that his small home painting studio was quickly getting too big – or rather his wife Debbie let him know. So he rented a bigger space at the Studios at Berry Ponds south of Stillwater, where he is surrounded by other“ creative types” – painters, artists, writers, other artisans – who escape routines at home to focus on their crafts. Williams said it was a good move, and he has outgrown his first painting studio and moved to a larger one.
Prepare to Evolve: Retirement can provide the freedom to fail, and Williams suggests taking advantage of it. He said his success belies how many times his paintings are scrapped or don’ t meet his standard.“ I learn from them all, and I’ m in competition with myself to grow from it,” he said, adding that for the first time he is taking the challenge of oil painting.
Williams said his retirement journey has entered a new phase. The financial perks of sales of his paintings, cash awards from competitions, and commissions have been welcome, but it has required some adjustments.“ This has transformed from a
SwOk hobby to a business,” he said.
STORY BY: DALE INGRAM Stillwater Oklahoma Magazine
PHOTOS PROVIDED
OSU Museum of Arts enntrance by Jeff Williams
“ All in a Day’ s Work” by Jeff Williams
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