Amander Williams-Clarke is a Guyanese Sculptor/ Wood Artist based in Bridgetown, Barbados. Her family owned and run business, Williams Legacy, specializes in fine art creations using indigenous wood.
Born in South Ruimveldt in Guyana, Amander migrated to Barbados with her parents at age five. The art of wood craft was passed down from generation to generation beginning with the patriarch of the family Nathaniel Williams who initially worked with straw specialising in hats, baskets, brooms, mats and hammocks. The tradition continued with Amander’s parents, Kenrick and Patricia Williams, who grew the woodwork business and earned international recognition for their lamps, Plant-stands, Bowls, Carvings and furniture.
Growing up in Barbados, Amander keenly observed her father’s love for craft. She would accompany him after school to the market to sell craft, and as the years went by her interest in her father’s work grew stronger. Today, she carries on the the legacy with her husband Cedric specializing in “Wooden Trinket boxes made from local woods primarily mahogany”.
In creating her masterpieces, Amander only uses fallen branches and discarded wood and uses intricate techniques in creating the wooden pieces. First, the raw materials are sourced and collected. They are then cut into circular slabs with the chainsaw. The pieces of slabs are left to dry for six months to a year, and insects are removed. A wood treatment is brushed on and left to soak for one minute, and fill any holes left in the wood. Patterns are then cut out, and a long process of sanding and varnishing is done. There are about 22 stages in the process of making one trinket jewellery box.
The Assorted trinket boxes are multifunctional; they are used not only used for Jewellery but spices, herbs, nuts, sweets, wedding favors, book-ends, business cards, small toys, even baby teeth. They can be given as special awards and they can be also used as wedding favors or we can even custom make a piece just for you. All handcrafted pieces are one of kind limited editions that were inspired by the artesian. The collection also include plaques, awards, and other custom made pieces.
Amander’s goal is to keep her family’s legacy alive by producing unique and original wood art, and she is devoted to her craft, working earnestly on passing on her talent to the youths of Barbados as a way of showing her appreciation for the government’s support over the years.
For more information on Williams Legacy, visit www.williamslegacy.net.
