Kevin A. Williams (WAK)

Kevin A. Williams, commonly known as WAK (his initials in reverse) is a self-taught artist who, as a child, became fascinated with painting. Over the years he has developed a very refined figurative painting style that utilizes acrylic and sometimes airbrush techniques. He has developed a large and loyal following in the 12 years since he entered the art market with the release of his first reproduction of the print titled “Taking her Back”.

In addition to being arguably the top-selling artist in the Black print market, his inspirational and romantic themed prints have been featured in numerous films and television shows including “Law and Order” and “Soul Food”. He has also been included in publications such as Essence and Upscale magazines.

He has enjoyed significant commissions including Motions, the hair-care company, and recently, the actor Bernie Mac. Kevin Williams lives and works in the Atlanta area.

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Roederick Vines

Roederick Vines was born in Toledo, Ohio. He began painting at the tender age and became a full-time artist at the age of nineteen. His studies include Fine Art and Illustration at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

A deeply religious person, Vines acknowledges his talent and creativity as gifts from God. He never runs out of material to paint, he says, because of this divine inspiration.

Vines’ themes are varied and diverse; from the secular to the spiritual. He says ideas come from all around him: the neighborhood movie theater, a Caribbean beach, a courtroom scene, but, above all, from the stories in the Bible. His images are predominantly people, usually in motion, coming or going, dancing, running. Just like the artist himself, his subjects never sit still. But he is as versatile as he is prolific and can easily switch to an abstract mode of expression if that is where ‘the spirit’ takes him.

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Paul Goodnight

Paul Goodnight was born in Chicago but grew up in New London, Ct., and in Boston. As an adolescent he was always getting into trouble and art provided an outlet to express his feelings. He served in the military and did a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. The experiences of the war had a profound effect on him and convinced him that art was not only his calling, but, once again, his salvation. Painting gave his emotions an outlet and helped him work through some of the psychological effects of the Vietnam War.

Goodnight attended the Vesper George Art School in Boston and received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1975. He credits many of the teachers at both institutions as influences on his life and art, but his greatest mentor and influence is the colossal artist and muralist, John Biggers. He gets much of the inspiration for his paintings from places he has visited, including Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, China, Russia, among others.

Goodnight boasts a number of commissions and awards and holds membership in professional associations such as the National Conference of Artists. His prints have been featured in films and on television shows such as “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, “A Different World” and “The Cosby Show”. His work is in private and public collections, which include Hampton University, Howard University and the Smithsonian Institution. He was cited in a 1988 Black Enterprise article as one of the top ten contemporary artists to watch.

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Monica Stewart

From the age of 4, Monica Stewart’s parents encouraged her artistic pursuits. While growing up in Oakland, California, this early parental patronage, as well as support throughout her school years, helped nurture her talent enough to get a four year scholarship to the San Francisco Art Academy. She later transferred to California State University at Hayward, where she majored in Art. One of the artists she studied under was Raymond Saunders, a very influential figure in her education.

Instead of getting her degree, she cut her studies short to become a flight attendant, and eventually raise a son. This left no time for painting, so her talent remained dormant. Some fifteen years later in 1990, with some time off from work, she had the freedom to get back into painting. Her renewed interest in art coincided with meeting a new friend and neighbor, best-selling novelist Terry McMillan. As Stewart recalls, “She’d come by and we’d talk about what’s going on with her. We’re around the same age, and I saw how she was taking what was a natural gift for her and making it work. She was the first one to see my pieces and say, ‘I’ll buy that!’”

Stewart’s preferred medium is pastels, as she explains, “I love the brilliance of the colors and the way you can manipulate them.” Of her work, and the predominance of women in her paintings, she says, “I have a good understanding of myself as a woman, so I do tend to paint a lot of women. I have a lot of girlfriends, and we talk a lot. So in my work you’ll see a lot of women interchanging, talking, doing whatever.”

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Maurice Evans

The musicians in Maurice Evans’ paintings dance, twist, and sway to the beat of the artist’s brush. “I’m a musician and I can feel what they’re doing,” says Evans, who plays the guitar. “I can put that into my art.”

Born in Smyrna, Tennessee, Evans’ art career began early. “My mom says I started doodling as soon as I could pick up a pen,” he says, “she would have to follow me around and wipe off the walls.” At the age of fourteen Evans landed his first professional job as a freelance artist for a commercial art firm. This led to a scholarship at the Art Institute of Atlanta, where he studied fashion illustration. The exaggerated, elongated human figure emphasized in fashion illustration became a major element of Evans’ style.

After stints in commercial art and medical illustration, Evans need for self-expression remained unfulfilled. Encouraged by a former classmate to explore the field of fine art, Evans asked himself “what do I have to offer as an artist that is unique?” His fusion of painting techniques, new and traditional, with his background in fashion provided an answer.

Following a commission for the official 1994 Atlanta Jazz Festival Poster, Evans debuted at the National Black Arts Festival with his “Colour of Jazz” series. Since then, his paintings have been featured in many group and solo exhibitions, and collected throughout the southern U.S.

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Marlene Healey

Marlene Healey describes her original paintings on paper and canvas as “textural pieces with abstract designs.” Using layers upon layers of paint, she builds up textures in a spontaneous way. “My work is very intuitive. I never have a preconceived idea of what I’m going to create,” she says. Born in London, Healey spent much of her childhood traveling to Paris, Germany, and back and forth from England to the United States. With a father in the Air Force, she learned different values and how to adapt to different environments. She eventually moved to the United States where she studied art and science at both Scottsdale and Mesa Community Colleges in Arizona, and at Arizona State University

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Laurie Cooper

Laurie Cooper is a Philadelphia-based fine artist interested in showing the beauty of the black race.  Her main goal is to show the inner and the outer beauty. Such as the inherent strength of character, richness of skin color, and the strong unique facial features those lies in the black race. Ms. Cooper hopes to reveal to all races the special qualities of the black race. Ms. Cooper is able to reveal these aspects in an academic style of painting, which is why she is one of the inspiring upcoming artists of today. In 1988, she earned her BFA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Collectors of her work include Dr. Pete Smith, Dr. Samuel F. Quartey, and Dr. Carey Tucker, Colorworks Gallery in Maryland, and Collectible Art Gallery in Philadelphia.

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Larry Poncho Brown

Larry “Poncho” Brown is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He started his first business at the age of seventeen as a sign writer and has been a full time artist ever since. Some of his early sign work was featured in television commercial and a Barry Levinson film. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. in 1984.

Brown’s work reflects the artist’s interest in Afrocentric themes, Ancient Egyptology and Dance, as well as his deep reverence for family, community and spirituality. His highly stylized work is often characterized by movement, rhythm and unity.

His art has been published in Upscale Magazine, Ebony, Essence, and Jet magazines, among others. His most popular artwork titled “Black is Black”, along with works from his “Egyptian Queens” series have been featured on the former hit TV show “A Different World”. Other television credits include “In the House” and the HBO mini series “Laurel Avenue”. Collectors of his work include Bill Cosby, Susan Taylor, Dick Gregory and Susan Taylor.

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Kenneth Gatewood

Positive images, a return to the past, and the spirit of innocence are the trademarks of watercolor artist Kenneth Gatewood. Gatewood’s artwork reflects a continuous evolution of personal growth. “I want to capture the special moments, the innocent expression, and the impulsiveness which are found in children,” said Gatewood.

A native of south central Los Angeles, Gatewood has an unyielding commitment to the inner city, and frequently returns to the community to nurture the talents and aspirations of others through his volunteer work. “It is important to be a role model for children and young adults. I want to emphasize to children the importance of education, respect, and self-expression.” With each delicate stroke of his paint brush, Gatewood empowers the viewer with a visual slice of the human spirit that captures the spirit within us all.

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Kadir Nelson

Kadir Nelson began drawing at the age of three, displaying artistic acumen before he could write or spell. “I have always been an artist,” Nelson explains. “It’s part of my DNA.” At age eleven, Nelson was apprenticed by his uncle Michael Morris, an artist and art instructor. “My uncle gave me my foundation in art,” says the artist. Nelson experimented with several different media and later began painting in oils at the age of sixteen under the encouragement and tutelage of both his uncle and high school art teacher. He began entering his paintings in art competitions and ultimately won an art scholarship to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Upon graduating with honors, Nelson began his professional career as an artist, publishing his work and receiving commissions from publishers and production studios such as Dreamworks, Sports Illustrated, Coca-Cola, The New York Times and Major League Baseball, among others. Nelson also exhibited his work in galleries and museums throughout the country and abroad including the Simon Weisenthal Center, Museum of Tolerance and the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences in Los Angeles, The Museum of African American History in Detroit, The Smithsonian Anacostia Museum in Washington DC, The Society of Illustrators and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, The Bristol Museum in England, The Citizen’s Gallery of Yokohama, Japan and the Center for Culture of Tijuana, Mexico.

Many of his paintings can be found in the private collections of actors, professional athletes and musicians including Debbie Allen, Denzel Washington, Will and Jada Smith, Ananda Lewis, Jalen Rose, Spike and Tonya Lee, Terry Lewis, Ray Allen, Venus Williams, Queen Latifah and Ice Cube. His paintings have also decorated the sets of television sitcoms “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “The Jamie Foxx Show,” as well as feature films “Friday,” “Set it Off” and “Beauty Shop.” Most notably, Nelson was the “Conceptual Artist” for Steven Spielberg’s feature film, “Amistad,” and the Oscar nominated animated feature “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.”

Among Nelson’s most recent works are the epic paintings, “The Life of Marvin Gaye,” “Marvin Gaye,” “Swizz Beatz: Ghetto Stories” and “Angel,” none of which are smaller than six feet high or wide. Nelson has also collaborated with several notable authors on a series of picture books. Presently, ten children’s books are in print including Debbie Allen’s “Dancing in the Wings”, Jerdine Nolen’s Coretta Scott King Honor Book, “Thunder Rose”, Deloris and Roslyn Jordan’s best-seller “Salt in his Shoes”, “Please, Baby, Please”, by Spike and Tonya Lee and Will Smith’s “Just the Two of Us”, for which Nelson won an NAACP Image Award. Currently, Nelson is planning a tribute book about the Negro Baseball Leagues which he is both authoring and illustrating.

Although Nelson works in a variety of styles, he always retains a sense of identity and focus in his work. Nelson’s works are instantly recognizable by the emotion and strength of his varied subject matter. “My work is all about healing and giving people a sense of hope and nobility.

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