Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Williams.
Marcus, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The earliest I can recall thinking of myself as an artist was at the age of five. My mom noticed that I loved to draw and that my drawings were fairly accurate for my age. She decided to enroll me in an visual and performing arts school, which is where my love for the arts really began to blossom. I had the opportunity to explore many different creative pursuits while in school, but visual art was always at the forefront.
I decided to pursue art professionally about a year after moving back to Jacksonville from college. Since then, I’ve been able to immerse myself in the art scene here and meet a lot of amazing artists and supporters of the arts.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The major struggle for me was just realizing that I could become an artist professionally. I was always pushed academically with the end goal being to go to college and find a career. For a long time, I didn’t really look at being an artist as a practical career. That, coupled with the lack of representation in the art I knew growing up, made an art career seem unrealistic. As much art as I was able to consume and study from a young age, I saw few black subjects and didn’t learn about any black artists until college. This is why representation is important to me. I want to serve as an example to young black artists of what’s possible for themselves.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
I would say that I’m most known for a constantly evolving style. My process is largely experimental so I’m always adding techniques and exploring different ways of interpreting subjects. By working this way, I’m able to take what I learn and apply it to the next painting or series. Each painting I complete is a step in an ongoing process. Along the way, things get added or subtracted based on what I discover. For me it keeps things interesting and feels more like a creative endeavor than just manufacturing pretty pictures. Experimenting with my process offers tools to work with in the future, which I believe keeps me progressing as an artist.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a very similar personality-wise to the way I am now. I was pretty laid back and somewhat quiet until you got to know me. I had no problem sitting in the back of a room and just observing everyone. I still do this at times. I never identified with solely any particular group of kids so I’ve always had friends from all types of backgrounds and could adapt well to different settings.
I had a wide range of interests as a child. I loved learning new information or a new skill. I was doing art at the same time as I was playing the cello and trombone beginning in elementary school. I was also trying out everything I could get into from dance to theater to chorus, which is how I discovered I wasn’t destined to be an actor or singer. Outside of school, I was involved in various sports, including baseball, taekwondo, and football. I credit my mom with recognizing the many interests and talents that I had as a child and making way for me to become exposed to as many of them as possible.
Contact Info:
- Address: Cork Art Studios
2689 Rosselle St, Jacksonville, FL 32204 - Phone: 9045535584
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/artof_mwill?igshid=315yhib2yo2w
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mwilltheartist/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MWILLofthePPL?s=09
Image Credit:
Isaiah Anthony
Cheryl McCain
Ju’lia Samuels
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