Playdate with my Soft Side

Eliska Williams

February 27th through March 23rd

Eliska Williams

Lawrence, KS

Artist Statement 

My painting process is rooted in softness. I create works in acrylic and oil that depict stuffed animals, saturated with nostalgia. I explore the liminal space between youthfulness and maturity, and how the two states intersect and coexist.

This series draws from my personal collection of stuffed animals. Through painting them, I found comfort in preserving their softness and uniqueness. These works function as a homage to who I once was, and to the parts of her I continue to carry with me. Within them exist hurt and tenderness, a love for plush toys.

Much of my previous work centered around darker themes. Having sought inspiration for my art from the dark and darkness alone caused me to remain in such a state. However, I have found solace through saccharine depictions of my plush toys. They allowed me to focus on healing in a hurt world and a hurt mind.

These stuffed animals are another surrogate for self, metaphors for comfort and growth. They serve as a means of recovery, rediscovery, and self-reclamation.

Artist Biography

Eliska Williams is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in painting and sculpture. Her paintings center around depictions of her stuffed animals, using them as a means to access a sense of comfort and nostalgia. She believes in the healing power of the whimsical and the therapeutic effects of plush toys.

Eliska received her Associate of Liberal Arts from Johnson County Community College in May of 2024. At the University of Kansas, received a 2025 Visual Art Scholarship Competition Exhibition scholarship for her studies in 2025, as well as a School of the Arts Grant in 2026. With an expected graduation with a BFA in Visual Art and a Minor in Art History in Spring 2026, she plans to pursue a Masters in Fine Art following graduation.

You can find Eliska's exhibit in the Upper West Gallery at the Phoenix Gallery