The Man Behind The Canvas: Artist Pete Williams
Around late Fall, 2020, on an afternoon with no particular direction, I stopped by Joplin's Local Color Art Gallery to see what had changed since my last visit some seven or eight months before. I took time to appreciate the hand-made eclectic pottery and the dense catalogue of nature displays and abstract paintings galore. Passively eavesdropping on the conversations carrying on around the room, I made my way through the gallery. My eyes became fixated on a series of marbled works in the back left corner of the display room. This handful of strikingly visceral, untamed and yet orderly pieces held my attention as I marveled at their density.
Apparently noticing my affinity for the works, the gallery overseer kindly informed me that the artist responsible for the series also happens to own the local restaurant and bar Woody's Wood-Fire Pizza. This news was a surprise that stuck with me over the next few months. So much so that I felt the need to reach out and talk to the man of many trades himself: artist, business man and independent restaurant owner, Pete Williams.
One afternoon, nearly two weeks into the new year Mr. Williams and I sat down at the newly renovated Woody's Pizza. After introducing ourselves, Williams and I discussed how he came to be a part of the Local Color Art Gallery, how he balances two separate occupations and where he finds time to create inbetween. Williams spoke on how he originally started painting in highschool without any serious intent on profiting from his work at the time. Fastforwarding to the year 2000, Williams took up painting once again. He explained how he came to sell his first piece to a friend and that he has since borrowed the painting for numerous public showings. Moving forward, Williams experimented with glass blowing, mural works, and even constructed an ambitious twenty-two foot pendulum piece for his home.
Skipping forward once again to the initial outbreak of COVID-19, Williams began working from home as many people did during the early stages of the pandemic. Stating that during this 'quarantine period,' if you will, that he began producing art at a higher volume, though with the greater output, came an increasingly high supply bill. So, in the interest of offsetting production costs Williams decided to market his work. Despite not having prior experience self-appraising artwork, he based his rates on a culmination of man hours and material costs. Eventually, Williams was asked to join the Joplin Local Color Art Gallery and began displaying his abstract works to the general public.
Towards the latter half of our discussion, Williams gave some insight into his meticulous approach to the variety of mediums he explores, including textures and colors on antique glass, drip paintings on marbled canvases, spin paintings and so forth. Mentioning that during the creative process he prefers to turn off his cell phone and enter a space free from interruption several hours a week until a particular piece is complete. According to Williams he sees motion in his work. "It's a release for me," Williams added. "Hopefully everyone sees something a little different in my art and gets something out of it. Maybe some happiness. It's loud and I want it to be noticed. I want to make a statement." At one point Williams cited the acclaimed expressionist Jackson Pollock as a major influencer of his work, and it certainly shows.
Much of artist Pete William's catalogue comes across as scattered, yet doesn't lack intent. There's a sense of fluidity and steady motion among randomness that's inviting to the eye. It's bold, yet even tempered. Offering a unique blend of chaos and immersion.
