Celebrated Chicago artist Kevin A. Williams returns home for exhibit of his paintings in Hyde Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An accomplished artist makes a trip back home, reflecting on his roots, and sharing his story about his "Sweet Home Chicago" years.
Kevin A. Williams, known by his artist moniker WAK, got his start in life and in art in the heart of the South Shore neighborhood.
"It's been a beautiful journey. This was probably the best of times, when you don't know how it's going to turn out," he said.
It was in South Shore that a teenage Williams was convinced that art could be his life's work.
Williams, whose paintings now are celebrated around the world, and hanging in galleries, first found a paying audience on East 87th Street.
He loved drawing as a young child, and a few years later, when many of his peers were working at fast food restaurants, the 16-year-old Williams, going door to door, sold his art to barber shops and nail and hair salons on East 87th Street and nearby locations.
"I did something nice, and added a drawing of a hairstyle, and delivered it. They loved it, then they asked me if I could just do the hairstyle drawings," he said.
He ended up with about 20 clients.
At Chicago Vocational School, teachers saw his talent and encouraged Williams to pursue art seriously. He started to win art competitions. What did that say to him?
"I'm pretty good. I got a shot … at a career," he said.
He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College, and went to work doing art for hair product companies.
South Side native's collection of paintings is the most widely circulated urban fine art series in the world
For years, his paintings have captured the broad experiences of African Americans; the struggles and the joys of daily life, fellowship, and music.
"What I do now is like an orchestra. It's layered. It's multiple nuances," he said. "I can cater to your vanity in an image, and at the same time talk to your consciousness."
Williams got a big boost when he did 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 she's like, 'Your painting's on Oprah. She's talking about your painting right now. She called it the most amazing gift she received,'" Williams said.
In the late 1990s, Williams moved to Atlanta, but comes back to Chicago often, 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 just like, 'Wow!'"
The exhibit includes a nod to Williams' first bit of commercial success – hair salon chairs – and his early work that launched a career of captivating art.
"It's just an amazing 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, when he was a child, he drew on walls in his home. When his parents scolded him, he just drew more. That's when they realized he had real talent that had to be encouraged.
The "Then and Now" exhibit at Connect Gallery featuring Williams' art is open through Nov. 30. An Artist Talk with Williams is scheduled for Saturday at Connect Gallery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.