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Fifteen years ago, Stephen Williams from Wagga Wagga, Australia was a 25 year old on holiday to celebrate a cousin’s wedding when a simple dive took a horrible turn. Williams found himself paralyzed (C5-6), unable to move anything from the chest down. “What the f$%! have you done to yourself you idiot,” were the first thoughts that crossed his mind. “We’re all bought up knowing to check the water before diving in.”
His shock and depression was eventually kicked in the butt by the discovery of an innate talent Williams didn’t know he had – the ability to create finely-detailed photorealism art. Also becoming a husband and father of two daughters post-injury, he’s worked hard to not let a regretful moment take the helm of his life.
A Depression Salve
While becoming paralyzed is hard enough, Williams says the transition home is what hit hard. “I fell deep into depression. I was looking for work for months with no prevail; just anything to fill the days in,” he says. “What really set me off in a downward spiral was visiting a job agency for disabled people and the building had steps to get inside. I was also told ‘we have never had anyone like you come to us before.’ I felt gutted.”
Williams says depression and mental health were an everyday occurrence until his wife, whom he was with pre-injury and has remained by his side, suggested he try to dra
w something while she was at work. “This initiated a moment he never saw coming. I did draw for her,” he says. “I drew a rose and it was terrible hahaha, but her reaction was priceless and one I will never forget.”
This moment sparked something within Williams. He wanted to see if he could get better. “After years of dedication and research on Youtube, I now draw life-like images. Photorealism art is my passion and I’m truly excited to see where my art will take me.” Coming upon this specific art form of finely detailed drawings that resemble photos however was a mix of happenstance and fate for Williams. “I drew an elephant for my aunty. I remember looking up new techniques on Youtube and trying to replicate the techniques into my drawing.”
“It always amazed me how artists could draw life-like images and I wanted to be able to do the same. Since this drawing, I have made it my passion to make sure I improve each drawing to be more realistic than the one before,” he explains. Williams says the art he draws is mainly animals since he loves nature, but it ebbs and flows. “In more recent years I have started drawing older cars. I love the challenge this brings as the realism techniques are so different. Also, people often ask me why I draw in greyscale only, and this is because I am severely colour blind.”
Also Williams, now 40, says becoming a graphite art helped him find his purpose, which he recommends everyone who sustains a spinal cord injury do. “I didn’t search for it; it just happened. Find your purpose. It will make the long days post-injury easier.”
New Career, New Family
With his photorealism art taking off, he and his wife decided to start a family. “I had been with my girlfriend 6 years before I had my accident,” he says. “We had already started building a life together. We had built a house by age 23 and had lots of future plans in place for the years to come but breaking my neck was not one of them. I am very lucky that I had found an amazing girl that could see past the injury. Definitely not easy.”
“We are now married 13 years and have 2 daughters aged 7 and 11. We used IVF to have our girls and we were very lucky to not have too much trouble conceiving them. We used my super to fund the IVF,” says Williams. Wanting to support his new family, he decided to get his artwork out to as many people as possible by printing it on various items – coffee mugs, class coasters, chopping boards, glass clocks, cards, wrapping paper, hearings, towels and magnets, which are available for purchase online.
As to how Williams is able to do such a finely-detailed art with zero dexterity, he has a specific technique for holding his pencil. “I do not use any adaptations to draw as I’ve found I lose too much control with the pencil. As I have no hand function, I weave the pencil between my fingers. This gives me greater dexterity control.”
For Williams’ next project, he plans on making a series of photorealism pieces based on Australian animals. He also says since his paintings require such intricate work, it takes him longer to complete them.
“The drawings I complete take a very very long time. Not only because of the loss of hand function and muscle control, but because I’m unfortunately in and out of hospital with chronic bladder infections. What may take some people a month or two can take me 6-12 months to complete.”
One of Stephen’s pieces.
— www.stevewilliamsart.net (his artwork is available for purchase here)
— Follow Stephen on Instagram
— Follow Stephen on Facebook
ideas@spinalpedia.com
