Biography

Holly McWilliams is a multidisciplinary painter based in Calgary, Alberta, working across watercolour, acrylic, oil, and mixed media. She has always seen the world through a visual lens, drawn to dramatic lighting, moody atmospheres, and vivid colour, and finds inspiration in capturing not just a scene but the feeling of being inside it. Her subject matter ranges widely, spanning figurative work, urban and rural landscapes, and more imaginative, dreamlike bodies of work. At the heart of her practice is a desire to help viewers pause, breathe, and reconnect with a sense of beauty and presence.

McWilliams trained in sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design, now known as the Alberta University of the Arts, before returning to her true focus: painting. A professional artist and educator since 2000, she founded Indigo Arts in 2005 and has since taught and mentored thousands of students, with her own work held in private and corporate collections across Canada, the US, and Europe.