BIO

Bio  -  Collectors  -  Press

Behind the Vision

Kevin A. Williams/WAK

Urban Fine Artist

CEO, WAKART, LLC

In fact, his collection of 50 lithograph prints – created under the “WAK Artistry” signature – is the most widely circulated urban fine arts series in the nation.  Diverse in their themes, the art is painted by Williams in mixed mediums, and then produced as lithographs in various limited – and broad – edition quantities.  Williams also creates a number of commissioned works annually.

As the best-selling artist in the African-American print market, Williams is a popular personality at national art shows, conferences of African-American groups and major international events, including the Essence Music Festival.  His art has been featured on television’s “Law & Order” (NBC) and “Soul Food” (Showtime). An artist who has received no formal training Williams’ success has been in what some may call non-traditional methods of reaching art consumers.  He’s taken a ‘pass’ on formal galleries or exhibits – but it’s a path with which he is comfortable.

About WAK Artistry

The WAK Artistry line was launched in 1995, and began with as single print, “Taking Her Back.”  That sparked the creation of the five-work “Black Love” series which brought him wide acclaim, a 1997 commission from Motions, the hair-care company, to create “Standing Appointment,” (four women under the hair dryer) was created and is regarded the most popular art image in the hair care industry.  In 1998, WAK Artistry created “Cream of the Crop,” a collection of fraternity and sorority images and the next year marked WAK’s first appearance at the Essence Music Festival.  Recent years have included commissioned work for celebrities, such as televisions host and movie producer Oprah Winfrey and comedian Bernie Mac, as well as corporate clients.  He formed SoulVisions in May 2003.

Call-Out Quotes

“My work is inspired by life itself, so once a situation happens and I become consumed with it, and that consumption turns into obsession, and I can’t sleep, then it’s got to come out through my art.  My style is definitely emotional, not strategic.  That’s what has made it so embraced – the work is uncut.  If I’m going through an experience, I share it with the world, and nine out of ten times, someone else is going through the experience, too.  It’s like I’m opening myself up, admitting to my imperfections, my vices, my virtues, and from that comes my art.  When I share that art, it’s like a conversation I’m having with the world,” he says, adding that with his following, “We’re having a real good conservation right now…they’re feeling me.”