There is something undeniably sweet and earnest about Chuckie Williams’ paintings depicting his beloved idols. Pop stars like Janet Jackson, Bell Biv Devoe and Dolly Parton were some of his favorite subjects to paint, and he also documented Michael Jordan, Jesus, spotted leopards, snakes and anything else that captured his imagination. These devotional artworks, many of which are double-sided, feel pure and unadulterated by any concerns outside of his need to declare his sincere love for these icons and wild creatures, which he glorified in acrylic paint, graphite, ink, and often glitter.

Out of necessity, Williams utilized found materials like cardboard, plywood, drywall, and house paint scavenged from vacant lots around his home in Shreveport, Louisiana for his art. These humble surfaces completely transformed in his hands, and he quickly developed a unique, flowing style that was completely his own. The works display a level of confidence and ease that is shocking giving the fact he never had formal training, and over the years Chuckie Williams’ obsessive creative output led to the family’s home becoming completely covered with his paintings, many hung on top of one another as space on the walls dwindled.

Even though he was exceptionally creative as a child and adept at drawing monsters and faces by the age of three, his true calling to become an “Artist” came during a hospital stay in the 1980s following an emotional breakdown. While Williams was recuperating and confined to the hospital, he claimed to have a vision from God telling him to start painting and that he would be famous and loved by everyone one day. This vision forever altered his path in life, and he quickly adopted the moniker “Artist Mr. Chuckie Williams” along with many other self-appointed titles including “Psychic,” “Christ Genius,” “Painter,” and “Ghost-Talent” Chuckie.

Oddly, it took an act of arson at an adjacent property for Chuckie Williams to be discovered as an artist in 1990. As a fire blazed in the neighboring industrial building, police and firemen safely evacuated his family members from the property but had trouble convincing Chuckie to leave as he was desperate and concerned for his paintings. In a flash of generosity, everyone pitched in to carry hundreds of his paintings outdoors to safety. This courageous act drew the attention of a news reporter who encountered Williams’ paintings spread out across his front lawn during the fire and then later covered the story allowing his destiny of artistic fame to materialize, even if only locally.