"Afternoon" 22x22
what he really wanted, so he moved back to Charleston. On a visit to the Robert Lange Gallery, he told the owner that he would one day be featured there. She smiled, gave him a hug and told him to submit his work. After five “no’s,” the Robert Lange Gallery gave him a shot at a group show, where he sold every one of his paintings. He was given more shows, which also sold out. Williams was finally invited to join the gallery. On top of managing the stresses that come with being a full-time artist, Charles Williams also gives back to the community that has given so much to him. "I am always thinking of the kids in the classrooms who have talent, but don't know how or may not have the resources to cultivate that talent," Williams says. "I want to give them the opportunities and experiences that my teachers offered me." In an effort to help foster creative students in multiple art forms, 84 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Williams formed the C.E. Williams Collaborative, offering what he has learned to middle and high school students interested in pursuing a career in the arts. He passes along the foundations and technical attributes of art, teaches students how to articulate their work and how to build relationships with collectors. "They are receiving all the important aspects of being a complete artist,” Williams says. The Collaborative recently held its first student art exhibition at Robert Lange Studios, giving the nine students of the Georgetown and Charleston County collaborative the opportunity to show their work. "They have some killer work," he says, smiling. Today, Williams is working on a new series of paintings. He has a museum exhibition scheduled for Spring 2015 at the Franklin