Kent Robert Williams (born 1962) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

painter and

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

artist. Williams, a draftsman and painter, has realized his work through various other artistic channels as well; that of the illustrated word and the graphic novel (including ''

The Fountain ''The Fountain'' is a 2006 American epic romantic drama film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. Blending elements of fantasy, history, spirituality, and science fiction, the film consists of t ...

'' with filmmaker

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction. Arono ...

), printmaking, photography, design, architecture, and film. A selection of his works on paper, ''Kent Williams: Drawings & Monotypes'', was published in 1991, and ''Koan: Paintings by

Jon J Muth Jon J Muth (; born July 28, 1960) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books as well as graphic novels and comic books. Career Muth studied stone sculpture and ''shodō'' ( 書道) (brush calligraphy) in Japan; and studied painti ...

& Kent Williams'', was published in 2001. His monograph, ''Kent Williams, Amalgam: Paintings & Drawings, 1992-2007'', with text by

Edward Lucie-Smith John Edward McKenzie Lucie-Smith (born 27 February 1933), known as Edward Lucie-Smith, is a Jamaican-born English writer, poet, art critic, curator and broadcaster. He has been highly prolific in these fields, writing or editing over a hundred ...

and Julia Morton, is the most comprehensive collection of Williams' work to date.

Early life

Williams was born in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

. He attended the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

in New York City and graduated in 1984.

Comics

From 1983 to 1985, Kent Williams was a regular contributor to

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' '' Epic Illustrated''. He collaborated with writer

J. M. DeMatteis John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels. Biography Early career J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...

on '' Blood: A Tale'' in 1987 and with writers

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt B ...

and

Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''New Mutants'', ...

and co-artist

on '' Havok and

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

: Meltdown'' the following year. The latter series was a result of Williams and Muth's desire to work on a project together. Williams was the regular cover artist for

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

' ''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...

'' in 1990–1991. Comics historian

Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstei ...

noted that Williams' "impressionistic painting style is an example of the new look that DC's

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

line brought to comics." Williams drew the "Fear of Falling" short story for ''Vertigo Preview'' #1 (1993) which featured the

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

and was written by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

. In 2006 he illustrated a graphic novel adaptation of ''

'' from the script by filmmaker

Teaching

Kent Williams was a visiting instructor at the Pratt Institute, and has taught at the

California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in Sa ...

, San Francisco; East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, and the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

(CalArts), Valencia, California. Williams lives in Los Angeles and teaches painting at the

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred R. ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. In addition, he is an MFA mentor faculty at the

Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) is a private college in Laguna Beach, California. With an enrollment of more than 700 students, the college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 11 majors and three Master of Fine Arts degree programs as w ...

Personal life

He is currently living and working in Los Angeles with his partner Soey Milk.

Exhibitions

His work has been the subject of a number of solo exhibitions including shows in New York City; San Francisco; Sundance, Utah; the

Nasher Museum of Art The Nasher Museum of Art (previously the Duke University Museum of Art) is the art museum of Duke University, and is located on Duke's campus in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The Nasher, along with Dartmouth's Hood Museum of Art and Pr ...

, Durham, North Carolina; in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is represented by Evoke Contemporary Gallery; and in Los Angeles, where he is represented by The Merry Karnowsky Gallery. His painting ''Trace Double-Portrait'' was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., as part of the Outwin Boochever 2006 Portrait Exhibition.

Awards

Williams is the recipient of a number of awards for his work, including the , Lucca, Italy's comics award. In 2001, he was invited to be a fellow at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab in Sundance,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Comics bibliography

Byron Preiss Visual Publications

* ''The Ray Bradbury Chronicles'' #1 (1992)

Darkstorm Productions

* ''Darkstorm'' #1, 2 (1982)

DC Comics

* ''

Batman Black and White ''Batman Black and White'' refers to the comic book limited series published by DC Comics featuring 8-page black and white Batman stories. Volumes 1, 4 and 5 of the series feature all-new stories (published in 1996, 2013–14, and 2020–21, res ...

'' #2 (1996) * '' Sandman Special'' #1 (one page) (1991) * ''Tell Me, Dark'' GN (1992)

Paradox Press

* ''

The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just over half of them (ten out of seventeen) ...

Urban Legends'' (1994)

Piranha Press

* '' Prince: Alter Ego'' #1 (1991)

Vertigo

* '' Death Gallery'' #1 (one page) (1994) * '' Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold'' #1–3 (1996) * '' Fight for Tomorrow'' #1–6 (2002–2003) * '' Flinch'' #4 (1999) * ''

'' GN (2005) * ''

Shade, the Changing Man Shade, the Changing Man is a comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was Shade, the Changing Man (Vertigo), later adapted by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo in one of the first Vertigo Comics, Vertigo ...

'' vol. 2 #50 (one page) (1994) * ''Vertigo Preview'' #1 (1993) * ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #2 (1999)

Eclipse Comics

* ''

Eclipse Magazine ''Eclipse, The Magazine'' (or simply ''Eclipse'') was a black-and-white comics anthology magazine published by Eclipse Comics from 1981 to 1983. The magazine introduced several new characters and series — including Coyote, Ms. Tree, and Masked ...

'' #3, 7 (1981–1982) * ''

Sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

'' #7, 8 (1983)

Last Gasp

* '' Strip AIDS U.S.A.'' (1988)

Marvel Comics

* '' The Brotherhood'' #1–3, 7–9 (2001–2002) * ''

Marvel Fanfare ''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics. It was a showcase title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe. Volume one ''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings ...

'' #40 (one page) (1988) * ''

Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X ...

'' #252 (1989) * Wolverine: Killing (1993)

Epic Comics

* '' A1'' vol. 2 #3 (1992) * '' Blood: A Tale'' #1–4 (1987) * ''Clive Barker's Book of the Damned: A Hellraiser Companion'' #4 (1993) * ''

Clive Barker's Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is an English/American horror media franchise that consists of eleven films, as well as various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella by English author Clive Barker titled ''The Hellbound Heart'', ...

'' #1, 4 (1989–1990) * '' Epic Illustrated'' #19, 29, 33 (1983–1985) * '' Havok &

- Meltdown'' #1–4 (1988–1989) * '' Shadowline Saga: Critical Mass'' #3 (1990)

New Media Publishing

* ''The Comic Times, Media Showcase'' #7 (1981)

Pacific Comics

* '' Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers'' #12 (backup story) (1983)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Kent 1962 births 20th-century American artists 21st-century American artists American comics artists American contemporary painters Art Center College of Design faculty American art educators DC Comics people East Carolina University people Living people Marvel Comics people People from New Bern, North Carolina Pratt Institute alumni