Richard Wilson Fine Arts & Graphics
Greenville, NC
Richard Wilson is an award-winning visual artist who uses reality and creativity to produce images that reflect the beauty in the world around him. Born in Robersonville, North Carolina, his talent developed at an early age. By age 8, he was skillfully crafting images of trucks, action figures and cartoon characters for his classmates. Under the mentorship and influence of his father, he continued to develop his artistic skills. Upon completion of high school, Wilson attended Barton College. He later received a degree in Advertising & Graphic Design from Pitt Community College, where he later served as an art instructor in the same art department in which his own dream was cultivated. Wilson currently resides and works from his personal studio in Greenville, N.C.
Richard Wilson has amassed an impressive thirty-year career as a professional artist. His resume resembles that of an older accomplished artist. Given his masterful execution and the universality of his subject matter, Richard’s work is both acclaimed by professional artists and has strong popular appeal. His narrative paintings frequently feature his own family, in particular his children. Wilson’s artistic strength is his capacity to select those moments that transcend the personal and can reach a broader audience. Some paintings are nostalgic, some express human connections that are only found within the family, and some express the challenge; in all his paintings there is warmth and discretion. The artist does many commission portraits as well and has that uncanny capacity to extract personality and depth from his subjects, which is faithfully represented in his realistic style.
Wilson has numerous collections, both public and private. Most notably he made history in North Carolina by becoming the first African American artist to have a portrait painting publicly displayed in a North Carolina courthouse. His painting of George Henry White, the last former slave to serve in Congress, proudly hangs in the Edgecombe County Superior Courthouse in Tarboro, NC. In February 2021, Wilson was recognized as one of today’s master’s in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. Wilson’s paintings are featured on several streaming service and television networks. In February 2022 Netflix purchased 3 of his works to be displayed in their hit series “Raising Dion” Season 2, his painting Anticipation was featured in the hit NBC season 5 series of “This Is Us”, and the STARZ network purchased his work for their hit series “BMF”. Wilson’s paintings were featured on the big screen in the fall of 2016 when five of his works were purchased and displayed in the movie “Barbershop – The Next Cut”. In November 2018, he was featured in the Wall Street Journal and recognized by writer Daniel Grant as “one of the most successful artists that you’re likely to meet”. Wilson was commissioned by the University of Georgia to paint the portrait of Mary Frances Early, the first African American to graduate from the University and is currently working on six more portraits for the university. He was selected by Blue Moon Brewing Company as one of the 20 Up and Coming Artists in the United States to design a Limited-Edition label for their 20th Anniversary Blue Moon Artist Series bottles. He was also featured on the cover of Sunshine Artist Magazine in March of 2013. In 2011, The International Tennis Hall of Fame acquired one of Wilson’s Shadow Series paintings entitled In His Shadow for their permanent collection; it depicts a young boy inspired by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Wilson’s work is being collected by collectors all over the world. Some of his notable collectors are Hank Aaron, Tina Knowles, Gladys Knight, Tom Joyner, Ed Gordon, Matt Kemp, Nicholas Castellanos, and many more.
Though his awards and accolades are too numerous to mention, they can be viewed in entirety on his website, along with visuals of his masterful execution.
website: www.richardwilsonart.com
Facebook: @TheRichardWilsonArt
Instagram: @richardwilsonart