A Visual Storyteller
By Hailey Stangebye
Photos courtesy of Evan Williams
Evan Williams is redefining caricatures.
His aim with these caricature-esque portraits is not to poke fun or demean, but, rather, to honor and pay tribute to cultural icons. The ultimate goal is to tell a story.
Evan’s story as an artist begins at a very young age. He says his interest in art started when he was just 8 or 9 years old. Throughout his childhood, Evan bounced from town to town whenever his father moved for his military career: Colorado, Virginia, Kentucky — even Belgium — and, ultimately, Ohio.
“My mother and father did a really good job of encouraging me and giving me the tools I needed to further myself,” Evan says. “I was always one of those kids who, when given the choice, would stay in the house to draw and paint. I’ve always been a more creative type.”
“I was always one of those kids who, when given the choice, would stay in the house to draw and paint. I’ve always been a more creative type.”
In high school, Evan became more serious about his craft. That was due, in part, to the influence of a few memorable teachers who empowered him to pursue his passion. He went on to graduate from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) and, today, he’s a visual storyteller in this city.
After a hiatus from his pursuit of the arts, Evan returned to his craft about 10 months ago.
“I got my art pad out and started sketching again. Then, I got my computer out and I created my own brushes in Photoshop. I started playing around and dusting the rust off, and I’ve just been seeing a lot of returns on my efforts,” Evan says.
In Oct. 2018, Evan became a RAW artist. RAW is an international community of creatives that hosts platforms for expression both online and off.
“Right after Thanksgiving, RAW had a big event here, locally. I got into that event. It was a huge show, and I got a lot of great feedback from it,” Evan says. “Since that, I’ve been trying to pump out as much stuff as I can.”
Evan is accepting commission pieces, working on a children’s book and selling prints. He also reached out to Columbus businesses — tattoo parlours, coffee houses, barber shops and more — to hang his work around the city. So far, the response is encouraging.
“It’s kind of weird to see someone react in an overwhelmingly excited way about something I’ve made. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, I do,” Evan says. “It’s just unusual to see something you create that can generate so much joy and laughter and happiness in someone’s life. That’s rare.”
“It’s kind of weird to see someone react in an overwhelmingly excited way about something I’ve made. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, I do. It’s just unusual to see something you create that can generate so much joy and laughter and happiness in someone’s life. That’s rare.”
Evan’s Work
