CHICAGO (CBS) — A veteran artist takes a journey back home, reflects on his roots and shares his story of his ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ years.
Kevin A. Williams, known by his stage name WAK, got his start in life and art in the heart of the South Shore neighborhood.
“It’s been a wonderful journey. This has probably been the best time, when you don’t know how it’s going to end,” he said.
It was in South Shore that a teenage Williams became convinced that art could be his life’s work.
Williams, whose paintings are now celebrated and hanging in galleries around the world, first found a paying audience on East 87th Street.
As a young child, he loved to draw, and a few years later, when many of his peers were working in fast-food restaurants, 16-year-old Williams went door to door, selling his art to barber shops and nail and hair salons. on East 87th Street and nearby locations.
“I did something fun, added a drawing of a hairstyle and delivered it. They loved it, then they asked me if I could do just the hairstyle drawings,” he said.
Ultimately he had about twenty customers.
At the Chicago Vocational School, teachers saw his talent and encouraged Williams to pursue art seriously. He started winning art competitions. What did that say to him?
“I’m pretty good. I have a chance… at a career,” he said.
He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College, and went on to work in art for hair product companies.
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For years, his paintings have captured the broad experiences of African Americans; the struggles and joys of everyday life, community and music.
“What I do now is like an orchestra. It’s layered. It’s multiple nuances,” he said. “I can portray your vanity and speak to your consciousness at the same time.”
Williams got a big boost when he created a painting for Oprah Winfrey’s birthday. That painting now hangs at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa.
“She has it on her show. My mom calls me and says, ‘Your painting is on Oprah. She’s talking about your painting right now. She called it the most amazing gift she got,'” Williams said.
Williams moved to Atlanta in the late 1990s but often returns to Chicago, most recently for an exhibition of his work at the Connect Gallery in Hyde Park.
“It’s overwhelming. When I came in last night, I was driving down the street and the lights were on, and I was like, ‘Wow!'”
The exhibition includes a nod to Williams’ first piece of commercial success – hair salon chairs – and his early work that launched a career of compelling art.
“It’s just a great time to just really… believe in your dream and believe in yourself, and then your community starts to believe in you,” he said.
Williams also said he used to draw on walls in his house as a child. When his parents scolded him, he only drew more. That’s when they realized he had real talent that needed to be encouraged.
The Connect Gallery exhibition ‘Then and Now’ featuring Williams’ art is open until November 30. An Artist Talk with Williams is scheduled for Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Connect Gallery.
