Lorene Johnson Gratton Workshop
Ash Eliza Williams
Inner Worlds and Other Minds
bone springs art space
june 27 & 28, 2026
Saturday
10am – 3pm
Sunday
12pm – 4pm
Inner Worlds and Other Minds
“Inner Worlds and Other Minds” is a beginner-level oil painting workshop focused on exploring the inner worlds, or “Umwelten,” of non-human creatures. On day one, students will learn the basics of oil painting, along with various techniques for expressing emotion and memory through color, texture, and gesture. Each student will then be paired with a non-human being—an animal, plant, or mineral—and will investigate that being using all of their senses. On the second day, students will be guided through prompts and questions as they create a series of studies that vividly celebrate the imagined inner world of the creature with which they were paired.
Ash Eliza Williams grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia and creates work exploring interspecies communication and non-human language. Their work has been exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Chautauqua Institution, Kunstmuseum Hersbruck, the New York Hall of Science, and the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. Ash frequently collaborates with scientists and has participated in research projects at Shoals Marine Laboratory, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Mountain Lake Biological Station, and McDonald Observatory. Recent residencies include Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Vermont Studio Center, The Studios at MASS MoCA, and Shangyuan Art Museum in China. Ash has taught painting, sculpture, color theory, and interspecies collaboration at Smith College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and the University of Colorado. Ash is currently a 2025–2026 artist-in-residence at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program (RAiR).
ash Eliza williams
ash Eliza williams
lorene johnson Gratton workshops.
The Lorene Johnson Gratton Workshops were established through a generous endowment created by Roswell artist and longtime museum supporter Lorene Johnson Gratton. After studying art at the Roswell Museum and Art Center as a young student in the 1930s, Gratton remained deeply connected to the Museum throughout her life and believed strongly in making arts education accessible to the community.
Today, the endowment supports affordable, high-quality workshops led by working artists from across the country. In keeping with Lorene Johnson Gratton’s vision, participants are invited to pay what they can in order to ensure these creative opportunities remain accessible to all.