Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Keith and Rachel Kim Williams.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your art, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Texas Artist, Casey Keith Williams, AKA “The Portrait Ninja” has been hand-painting portraits for more than 25 years. He was born in Houston and raised in East Texas by a family of carpenters. From a young age, Casey was drawing mostly black and white images, and he learned to paint when he attended the art institute of Houston in his 20s. When he came home, his father suggested he use wood panels to paint on since they lived some distance from any art stores. Casey liked painting on the panels and from then on, Casey continued to use wood panels for his artwork as a trademark and hand frame his work after hours in the shop. He created original works, celebrity portraits, likable characters, and popular movie scenes that a lot of his friends collected over the years.
Casey ended up staying in the family business and worked as a carpenter, but it didn’t come without hard trials. There were dark periods of Casey’s life where he struggled, but through pure strength and determination, he finally overcame the drug addiction that had left him homeless and on probation in 2008.
A few years ago in 2016, Casey was working on the painting “Easy Rider” (based on the film). He was excited to show his father the first-ever motorcycle portrait he had painted, but the day had come to an end and Casey missed his Dad leaving the shop. Casey decided to just show him the next day and went home to finish the painting, but unexpectedly Casey’s father passed away that same night. This devastated Casey so much and after receiving the awful news, Casey forced himself to paint all through the night. He completed the picture and dedicated it to the memory of his father.
After his father’s death, Casey was at a crossroads… building cabinets just wasn’t the same without his Dad around. So Casey took some much needed time off and held on to “Easy Rider” unsure of what to do next. He didn’t want to sell it after he had so emotionally painted it the night his father died. Several months later, a friend of his was critically injured in a motorcycle accident and Casey knew he should do whatever he could to help the fallen rider and his family. He had the idea to donate “Easy Rider” and organize a raffle to help raise money for him and his recovery. Casey was even able to get Rick Fairless of Strokers (Dallas, TX) to autograph the painting to raise more money. The painting was so popular, people began requesting Casey to paint portraits of them on their motorcycles and somewhere along the way, CKWilliamsArt was born.
Casey occasionally worked live on Facebook, but because he was camera-shy, he wore a Blue Bear mask and didn’t talk while painting. This is how our outgoing and eccentric business mascot, known as “The BEAR,” was created. To this day, the top hat-wearing Bear makes appearances at charity and social events and is displayed in various artworks. Casey was also busy with orders and he began specializing in motorcycle, automobile, and pet portraits (his favorite subjects) when we started dating in the fall of 2017. I painted as a hobby when we met, Casey started painting with me and giving me lessons. I immediately began to support his work and assist him in managing orders. Casey was steadily working on custom portraits for people and he was spending a lot of time hand delivering the artwork all over Texas. Yes, all over Texas (Houston, DFW, East and West Texas – sometimes on his motorcycle!).
He also began donating his artwork to auctions that funded Cancer charities, benefits for Fallen Motorcycle Riders, Christmas gifts for Henderson County kids and children with serious medical conditions. He was absolutely determined to give back to his community, something that I admire so much about him. We officially started CKWilliamsArt January 1st, 2018 and we got married that same year. We built a website, and we started taking orders online (and shipping artwork 😉). I literally help manage his time, the business, and the events all while painting right alongside him, and then people started taking an interest in my artwork! We now post our custom and original artworks on social media and attend all events together. The artwork we produce is very much inspired by each other, and we definitely feed off of one another as we work. We are full-time artists and ship artwork all over the country, from the great state of Texas.
We always give free quotes on photos. The portraits come framed and ready to hang on the wall and shipping is FREE within the U.S.A. All of our artwork is hand-painted with a brush on wooden panels, using acrylic paint and then everything is custom framed by Casey. The art displays that we use for events were even hand made by Casey. The most rewarding part about what we do is seeing people receive their artwork. When we paint custom portraits, they are usually gifts and special moments with their families. Paintings make amazing gifts that last for generations. We want to bring joy and nostalgia to everyone through our artwork. With our donations and reasonable prices, our motto has always been Art For All.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most challenging part of our work is striving for perfection! We know the photos we receive from our customers are important to them. We want them to be proud to display our artwork in their homes or give them as gifts.
Also, moving the artwork can get complicated! Our portraits and artworks start at 16X24in (up to 24X32in) and taking all of them to events can sometimes be a challenge. Christmas season gets really busy and we always suggest people order early! Our orders usually take four weeks, and longer at Christmas time.
CKWilliamsArt – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets us apart is that everything we do is completed by the two of us. We are a team and couldn’t do all of it without each other. From the order process, artwork, and the framing and shipping, it’s all done by us. We understand that these portraits are very personal to our customers and we feel honored to preserve these moments for them.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Casey: Sitting at the breakfast table with my family on Saturday mornings watching cartoons and laughing.
Rachel: My competitive cheerleading memories.
Pricing:
- Original artworks are individually priced, come framed and shipping is included. Our custom portrait sizes are 16X24, 24X24 and 24X32. The base price for a 16×24 is $250 and the price goes up depending on the size of the painting, number of subjects, and the amount of detail to be painted in your photo. Our quotes, framing and shipping (within the U.S.) are always FREE!!! E-mail us your photo to receive your free quote. All of our online transactions are completed using PayPal. #ArtForAll
Contact Info:
- Website: CKWilliamsArt.com
- Phone: 9035197700
- Email: CKWilliamsArt@gmail.com
- Instagram: CKWilliamsArt
- Facebook: CKWilliamsArt
Image Credit:
Personal Photo Submitted (Casey and Rachel on Bike) – Photographer Heather Crawford of Ft. Worth, TX
Rachel – (Art Photo in the woods) – Photographer Heather Crawford, Ft. Worth, TX
Casey (The Bear In The Woods) – Photographer Heather Crawford, Ft. Worth, TX
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