Idaherma (Eda) S. Williams, 88, of Princeton NJ passed away peacefully Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at her home in Princeton N.J. Born in the Bronx on June 25, 1933 and growing up in Philadelphia PA. Eda received her BA from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1959 and a Master of Fine Art from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963. She later taught for many years at the Fleisher Art Museum in Philadelphia, PA.
Eda worked in many mediums including woodblock prints, watercolors, oils, paintings on silk and archival pigment print. She was internationally recognized as a printmaker and won numerous awards for her woodblock prints. Eda is listed in the 2015 edition of Who’s Who in American Art, was an Honorary Member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society, and served as President of the American Color Print Society from 2001 to 2011.
Eda was a colorist and loved to use vibrant colors to depict bouquets and street scenes among other topics. She was featured in numerous art shows and collections throughout her career. Notably, in 1975 she had a one-artist show at the New Jersey State Museum of her watercolors. In May 2011 she had a one artist show at the American Hungarian Foundation in New Jersey featuring a large collection of her watercolor and woodblock prints. Idaherma’s last woodblock print will be on exhibit at the Salmagundi Club in New York City.
Eda’s work reflects the beauty and balance between the internal world of dreams and the outer world of physicality in original, hand-carved wood block prints. Windows open to reveal the soul and poetry of her subjects which range from common place objects to ancient, complex symbols.
Her forms speak dramatically about paradoxes and harmonies. She has exhibited her work in major national and international shows. All of her prints are created without a press, for which she is widely recognized by artists and collectors from around the world.
Eda lived a long, happy life and enjoyed being with her son Evan and husband David. They looked forward to camping and hiking trips both in the mountains and along the coast. She recently adopted 3 kittens who brought her much joy and love. One of her proudest achievements was the launching of the Idaherma Museum of Art Foundation. A non-profit organization to support her lifelong vision to discover and promote artists worldwide, Eda launched this organization with her son Evan and late husband David in 2016.
She was predeceased by her husband David L. Williams who died in 2016. She is survived by her son Evan Williams of Princeton NJ, a brother and sister-in-law Michael and Bernice Schwartz of Cary NC, a brother-in-law and sister-in-law Richard and Deborah Holmes of New Hampshire, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Eda was a deeply caring individual and always expressed an interest in other people’s lives. Gifted with a wonderful ability to relate to others, Eda cared about many in our community.
A virtual Memorial Service will take place on Tuesday, August 31 at 10:00am EST. We encourage those who knew Eda or admired her artwork to join us safely online. For access to the online service please visit the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home website and look under “Service Information” on Eda’s Obituary page. There will be limited in-person attendance to the Memorial Service for those closest to Eda.
Please contact Evan Williams [email protected] for more information.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Idaherma Museum of Art Foundation would help sustain her legacy (www.idaherma.org).