Episode 16, Talking South Carolina Podcast Interview with The Artist Karl WIlkes Wilkes Gallery of Art Columbia, SC

Episode transcript:

Angela Barrett – “Hey, Carl. Thanks. This morning from being here.”

Karl Wilkes – I had to be here. We’re inviting.

Angela Barrett – “Yes, absolutely. You’ve had some exciting times here lately. You’ve always had a pretty successful career, in the art world. But here recently, things have sort of exploded heavily.”

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. Let’s take quite well. I mean, it’s, me it’s a different world since the pandemic. And so I’ve just been, trying to push full Excel, as they say.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, I think I think you’re there. I think you say there. I want to start out with, one of your projects. And we’ll get to some of the others, but you’ve got the the Harriet, Tubman project. Tell me a little bit about that.”

Karl Wilkes – “Well, what ignited that project was I saw this rendition, or drawing, if you will, Harriet Tubman that they, submitted for the $20 bill. And it was atrocious. In my opinion. They do it like a man. And, you know, I was like, kind of got a failure to a certain degree because, you know, this can be part of, American treasure.”

Karl Wilkes – “We should have more lead, image of her, not just something just to pass by. I said, oh, we got we’re on there, right? Took it personal, and I said, okay, you know what? Let me just submit, you know, my pay. And, my buddy Charlie has been with me forever since my career. That the when Farley, I really would be doing the things that I’m doing now.”

Karl Wilkes – “He’s been. And you have, Captain Kirk, he’s, like, started. Oh, send it to him. And he flipped it and doctored it up and put it on the $20 bill, and, I got great response from it. And I’ve been back and forth up the hill trying to make things happen with it. So it’s a slow process because at that time, Donald Trump was president and he just said that, or we’ll revisit it later.”

Karl Wilkes – I think like 2030 or some madness like that. Oh.

Angela Barrett –

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. But oh, like, so, well, I’ve been trying to do deal with just to make that happen. Not that, t shirts and things of that nature working with, Wilson Clyburn and a few other individuals to try and make this the come to fruition. If it happens, it would make me the only, American artist to have artwork on American currency.”

Angela Barrett – I think.

Karl Wilkes – “Present day. And so it could be really huge. And I don’t think there’s, an art gallery in the United States of America here or abroad that would not want to feature me or, show, exhibit my work.”

Angela Barrett – “Right, right, right. And speaking of art galleries that you, have been, featured in, you just recently were in New York and, had, some pieces in the, trying to find the, the Agora Art gallery there in New York for their I love, I love you exhibit, right.”

Karl Wilkes – “Yes, I love you exhibit. And, yeah.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah. So that now that had to be a heck of an experience. Tell me about that. That’s that’s.

Karl Wilkes – “It was interesting. I mean, because when you’re dealing with art, it’s nothing but the person. And, you know, you got to be pretty cultured to really appreciate the way you was to be appreciated it. And I tell you, it looked like the world stopped and all nationalities of the world came together at this big melting pot called the Gore Gallery.”

Karl Wilkes – “It was just fabulous. I, you know, featured artists there. It it was an amazing experience. And I just really, really. Yeah. Oh they felt it, done it and to get things going, going into 2425. So I’m excited about things to come and being there. You know, New York City is different.”

Angela Barrett – “And yes, I absolutely. And that’s, that’s, that’s no small for our gallery either.”

Karl Wilkes – No.

Angela Barrett – That’s a pretty big deal.

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. It’s up there. It’s it’s, top of the line, you know, top ten galleries in New York City. Yeah. You know, I’m I’m on the verge of having them or either signing on with them to be one of their featured artists that they represent exclusively.”

Angela Barrett – “Oh, wow.”

Karl Wilkes – “Globally. So, it’s just a decision needs to be made, which is kind of a no brainer, but, playing with it.”

Angela Barrett – “You know, you’re going to do that. You know, you have to that be phenomenal.”

Karl Wilkes – Yeah.

Angela Barrett – “And while we’re all the subject of New York, I want to read something to you that was written in the New York Wire. One such artist making significant waves is Carl Wells, whose innovative works are poised to set prominent trends in the art industry by 2025. How do you feel about that?”

Karl Wilkes – Yep. Well.

Angela Barrett – That’s that’s no pressure. No pressure.

Karl Wilkes – “You have to believe so much in yourself that, everyone else has no choice but to believe in you or witness. So, my belief in and who I am and what I’m doing, trying to share my gift, is basically inconceivable how far I can go. But. So, it’s. I find it all to be true and, pled to, push it as hard as I can to to make things happen.”

Karl Wilkes – “And then this will become a household name because, you know, I had this thing with me that I say, the history books rewrite itself every day, and I’m always chasing the greats, you know that? You dangle, Castle, you know, so I said, you know, as long as, you know, go after them. Present day, the.”

Karl Wilkes – “You know, you can’t you can’t lose. Can’t lose. You can. You can the place alongside them or get out in front of them. Because I found myself with the same relearning skills over the bench and, and everything that he wrote. It’s all in the history books and everything. So I’ve studied him exclusively. Everything that all the art critics had to write and what have he studied?”

Karl Wilkes – “It all and found myself, again, that have the same skill set. But he’s passed and I’m still alive.”

Angela Barrett – “Right? Right. So. Is that where you feel, Well, two questions. Who would be your biggest influencer? And if that’s it? Tell us. And then the second question is at where do you pull your creative. Thoughts to how do how do you create what what is it emotion. Is it something you see? Is it tell us about that influencer and your creative process.”

Karl Wilkes – “Well, the first question and as far as cellphones are, there’s a couple, I’ll just say two at the top again, Leonardo da Vinci and, Romeo Beard and Castle. It’s three.”

Angela Barrett – And why? Why the why them? What makes what pulled you there?

Karl Wilkes – “Well. The vintage said data separates a good artist from a great artist is versatility. And I found myself to be one most versatile artist in the country. I do painting, sculpture, photography. I’ve written plays, three books, performance art and what had me so, you know, I do. I eat and things that probably won’t go anywhere, but they work for me.”

Angela Barrett –

Karl Wilkes – “You know, a lot of creative anything I put my hands on to make the most esthetic statement, I’ll do it. Second question is, as far as my creativity, it comes from just, life in general. Anything that for example, if I hear if you and I having a conversation and you say something, it could be a sentence.”

Karl Wilkes – “And that synthesis will paint a picture for. Hey, it will probably be titled something I said, you know, we could be talking. You’d be like, I don’t know, it was something I said in my brain would just go away. Just, oh, something. I said, what? And then it just it creates its own picture. And I just, pretty much reproduce that image, in my mind, according to whichever way it wants to go.”

Karl Wilkes – “And I share it, and I have a theme behind it, as they say, content. Pretty much a, social commentary or an as I speak on things that, you know, happen socially within my life, within the world and what have you. You know, it’s just it’s different these days as far as artist. And so it’s a little scary, if I may just change course with Meryl Streep.”

Karl Wilkes – “Sure. Cause this whole I the it’s it’s like you can do anything that is, this is crazy. And it’s like, people are creating pictures and paintings, images. And this is worthless to me, but it is something to everybody else because we’re in the future. But it also made me very rare at the same time, because one of the most important things that a human being can do is leave the single prey.”

Karl Wilkes – “I mean, if it wasn’t for chaos, we wouldn’t know what went on back breakfast with the whole way. The, it’s just it’s changing everything, common in the just position of changing with it or stay as I am. I don’t, you know, I really don’t know which way to go on it, but, you know, you either get caught up in the way of looking at the bar.”

Karl Wilkes – “But spider, they say it’s so. You know, I’m just trying to do something relative where people who appreciate that another human being did in terms of physically not on a computer, you know.”

Angela Barrett – “Right. So let me ask you this. In this very same article, it says that Wilkes is art is not to be viewed but to be experienced. So I take that as correct me if I’m wrong, there is something you want in each piece. You’re trying to, Gain a reaction, a particular reaction by each individual. A lot of times people will say art is subject to whoever’s viewing it, but the you from all the articles that I have read and what’s been said about you, you evoke, against a particular reaction with each piece.”

Angela Barrett – Tell me how that works. How how do you make that happen?

Karl Wilkes – “Well, I’m on a constant quest to, to stop what I call the museum where you walk through an art gallery or museum is you just doing that type of thing? You know, when people see my work, they start looking. And it is something within the artwork. This, they can relate to or relative to them. Tell a story, tell a story.”

Karl Wilkes – “They have to be, oh, I don’t know. Sit back and turn this it, that guy there just give you an example. Matthew Ramos, and he shattered the world record, in the 1936 Olympics, only to come in second place. He lost by 4/10 of a second. He did. He wasn’t able it had no no sponsors.”

Karl Wilkes – “He ran with the shoe. The, he went to a junior college. He wasn’t going to go, but his older, his brother talked, committed to running. So you can beat it. Like. So he went in and he came in, said he lost to Jesse. All the like. You can retire, working at a private, white middle school.”

Karl Wilkes – “No recognition. But his brother went on to be one of the most renowned, in American baseball players in American history, which Jackie Roberts, rainbow, all those type of stories, you know, I think need to be told, back and read a piece and will, gets people’s attention, make them wonder and see exactly why did he paint?”

Karl Wilkes – “You know, what was so special about this guy? I feel I never write a story about him that I think is important to, you know, American history to, you know, African American history, so, you know, doing those things. And Harriet Tubman moved in all of that, you know, I mean, I’m very diverse, can’t ignore my heritage.”

Karl Wilkes – “But at the same time, you know, I can try to help people find themselves in any piece of artwork. I mean, this is very. Very naturalistic work, but I do a lot of abstract painting that, you know, I just kind of all over the place. I get bored myself, really.”

Angela Barrett – I love some of your charcoals. Those are probably some favorites. Yeah.

Karl Wilkes – “That’s you know, that’s those are my babies. I love those. Yeah.”

Angela Barrett – “My mom did charcoal as well. So, I love those. Those are, those are great. Now you have, in addition to this, the project you have going on, the Harriet Tubman. Tell me about the my tour.”

Karl Wilkes – “Is the study. Well, I think I was at well, everybody told me there was a comedian, a student come up here to lie, and, it’s a is is is is a pull from Parliament-Funkadelic, P-Funk or tour? I found myself all over the place, you know, travel on a daily Paris, London, Japan. And I was like, okay, so I’m visiting all this places are kind of got a name.”

Karl Wilkes – “It so and this with the select group works. So I was like, you know what I said? This is an Earth tour. I said, because this planet is so small, because of the internet, you know, we almost forget what Earth is, right? Earth is like where we’re sitting right now rather than computer. So I feel like I’m getting around.”

Karl Wilkes – “I’m moving around. I said, so this is an Earth tour, so I will, bring the earth into my works and, let people understand that not only will we one big network, forest computers, but as this society that we live in the earth. And so to share my words, which comes from me and I come from the earth and the cosmos, so to speak, so this is what it is I want is kind of a funky, you know, what I would term is unspoken words heard visually.”

Angela Barrett – Right?

Karl Wilkes – Talk. Yeah.

Angela Barrett – “Yeah. In fact, did you not have an exhibit called that? Yes, yes. Can I say wait? We can get there. Yeah, but you brought it up. Go ahead.”

Karl Wilkes – That was my Carnegie Hall exhibit. Yeah.

Angela Barrett – I was going to say.

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. And, one thing with my art, it really is the springboard for something. And so. And it’s all one. And, try not to deviate from, my play and just stay consistent. What I’m doing, kind of what I call my McDonald’s theory, is how they got fame. It’s because they’re still consistency. So I’m just trying to be consistent.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah. So now being in, Carnegie Hall, that is an experience as well. I won’t tell us about that. I can’t even imagine this is.”

Karl Wilkes – “How the all. It’s interesting because I’ve always found myself, ironically, to be the first to do things first. You do this first. Do that. It’s like with Eric Clement, they’d be the first with Carnegie Hall. I was the first visual artist ever to do it. Full scale display here. And Carnegie Hall has just famous statements that I didn’t get to Carnegie Hall practice, practice, practice.”

Karl Wilkes – “But that’s for musicians. So, Earth visual artists who ever do a full scale display Carnegie Hall. To us, it seem like at the time it was the old school.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah.

Karl Wilkes – “See, that came out so, so much worse. And it it catapulted me to, being at one point in my life, these call me the artists to start stars. And it just, it jumped from there to, you know, Bill Cosby when he was a good boy. During that time, he started playing in my work. And when people would visit him, they would, like, oh, wow, who’s that?”

Karl Wilkes – “And how can I get some of that work? And so it was just celebrities and started purchasing my work. And I went on to, catering to them to stayed there for a while just to, survive as an artist and not build on that, you know, starving artist cliche, which is this is kind of interesting because not everybody know where that came from.”

Karl Wilkes – Do you know where they came?

Angela Barrett – “I know I’ve heard it many times, but I can’t say that I know exactly where it came from.”

Karl Wilkes – “Well, is Vincent van Gogh with no soul a painting? Why, he looks a lot. But what he did was he gave away his paintings, food and shelter. Even though his brother helped take care of, This was his means of support. So that’s what they call it. The starving artist. Because I never saw anything where I think recently, one of his paintings, you know, sold for like $11 million and holy cow.”

Angela Barrett – “That’s a lot. Yeah. Speaking of your famous collectors, now, I know that, you mentioned, Bill Cosby, but, I mean, you have some other very famous collectors as well. While you run that list real quick, the ones that you can can say, I know some of them might not want you to say that.”

Karl Wilkes – “Well, the artist formerly known as Prince, James Brown, Michael Jackson, who else?”

Angela Barrett – Muhammad Ali.

Karl Wilkes – “I’m an Ali. Spike Lee, George, Laura bush, Jay Leno. You know, you just got.”

Angela Barrett – I just want to hear you say Michael Jackson was Michael Jackson.

Karl Wilkes –

Angela Barrett – Then did you get to meet all these people?

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. It’s, the thing about it is, it’s funny. You can actually go see some of these people, Dan Marino, all these people on my website, I had some, I said, oh, wow. You took some pictures with some very, very famous people. I was like, no, Ethan pictures with me.”

Angela Barrett – Right.

Karl Wilkes – “So I don’t chase them. And the thing about it is, most of the time when that happens, I’ve done any gate, and, I’m normally the key speaker or speaking at that particular engagement. And, we just sort of happened to be able to say car example or so. And Andrew Young was on the same card, the many things with many people, while, you know, Rosa Parks, person, artist.”

Karl Wilkes – “And she was the lie about selected a very young age. And so that that type of thing is like my artwork creates a podium for me to speak. And then you want to meet the artist that they heard me speak and, so I meet with them, even like when, but just before the pandemic, at the notes shortly after, I did a show with Dave Chappelle.”

Karl Wilkes – “That was kind of interesting because it was breaking in South Carolina house moratorium and Allen University worlds memory, building in his father’s grandfather’s day. This grandfather was the president of Allen University. He came together like that. And like everybody you meet, we wind up be best friends. Got them all speed down. Because the thing about it, if they’re not purchasing my work, that’s sold out to be, I normally will donate the work to them, to their organization.”

Karl Wilkes – “I just get them because they have shared their life with us, getting us so much, and everybody goes out to them to get something from them. Probably on a personal walk around, say, hey, I want to get this right, right. Very thing.”

Angela Barrett – “That’s right, that’s right. Now, you mentioned Rosa Parks and I was going to ask about that. Tell me, well, one how that came to be in there. I want you to tell me a little bit about Rosa Parks herself. I mean, you worked exclusively with her for a while.”

Karl Wilkes – “We met in Philadelphia. I have my friend. He owned. I was the general manager of the Marriott in Philadelphia to call. You said I got some of his folks coming in. I want you to meet. By who? Oh, yeah. I just wanted to be a mother to you. I said I’m fine. Now that, like. Yeah. I said, okay, well, what do you want me to do?”

Karl Wilkes – “He said, I just, you know, I want you to meet her. And at the time felt like, okay, but me as a giving person that I am, I was like, wow, at being so special or so it is fortunate at right when I was doing it, he gave her husband my number and he called me to do so and I which was raining, I was like, wow, I’m already working on something, but oh wow.”

Karl Wilkes – “So just from meeting her, you know, we fell in love with each other. Her and Rami could ever get children. And so she, publicly announced me at some of God’s, and on special. But her as the person, it was very special and unique in terms of. If I she would give, for example, she would say, Carl, you know, he really don’t to argue with people.”

Karl Wilkes – “Their best weapon is silence. Wow. Okay. So, you know, I took all that kind of stuff. She made a difference in my life in terms so.”

Angela Barrett – “That she made a difference. A lot of people, pieces.”

Karl Wilkes – “People. Miss Bishop. She actually taught me how to be. How to let you know I was a basketball player. You know, just Pastor Eric arrogant, you know, but she. Abby, she made me a better person in terms of how to be respectful to every living human being teaches you how to be a better human being. And, you know, just to respect people, hold door to ladies, you know, this country boy out of South Carolina.”

Karl Wilkes – “Of course I’ll do that. But, you know, she just enlighten me on how to make it in a world that I never knew, you know, just to be proud. Well, put your head up. Always remember who you are. The difference you can make. And that’s. There’s one thing I want to say. She told me. She said.”

Karl Wilkes – Card. You really. You’re really.

Karl Wilkes – “You really good. You said. But you make a difference. The gift that you have. And I’m just like, wow. She said good, you know, and I’m just the I’m just this great artist and would like you looking kind of funny. Why are you looking like that’s it? Just what you just told me. She said no. He said, when I tell you to make a difference with the gift that you pay for, the gift that you have, that you I had nothing to do with your, when you know who you are.”

Karl Wilkes – “Because I. You know, I say that I am art. We all, you know, is art to the way we walk, the way we we we dress I, we comb my hair. Or as we drive the buildings we live. It is all art. And, you know, it’s important to be able to share that gift. Some people back in the day.”

Karl Wilkes – “When you talk, we call it it the gift of gab.”

Angela Barrett – “That I have this is it, this all? We’re doing this right now that I.”

Karl Wilkes – “Really bought because people say you know. Oh, I heard what Andrew said that was really special or whatever. So just once something can change people’s lives. Like they saw all after one more day, you know, I guess I’m. I stand on it clear. And the song you hear is a song with a guy going by the road radio.”

Angela Barrett – Right?

Karl Wilkes – “He says not the job. So, you know, it’s just this sharing our life as human beings and make the difference in any kind of way we can example, with my white House or, a, we’ve had them with the history lesson number five. Which one? My famous or my flagship piece. I have to visit all 105 story black colleges and universities within the white House initiative and.”

Karl Wilkes – “This makes a difference because this is lesson number five and so important not only to African American history, but our history. I mean, American history is history is so broad, is boring, and it’s like, no, where do I start? So what was the select group of individuals and put them in a piece where people walk up on and say, who’s this up there?”

Karl Wilkes – “And start to educate themselves? And they’re prominent and important figures in world history that all of them were responsible for helping shape society. It’s virtually all Americans. So that piece goes out to the university that, you know, it helps the students find out who they are, learn more about themselves. And, you know, for those who don’t know us, it educates them in terms of understanding.”

Karl Wilkes – “And African American people hold the pie or, you know, society or African American or like race looks speak, because we’re all in this melting pot together. And I tell people, you know, we’re all one under the sun and we and if you know what I mean. And, that’s just how it is.”

Angela Barrett – Right?

Karl Wilkes – Know about each other.

Angela Barrett – “Now, I think. Through all that I have, read and, and I would need a year read everything, actually, Carl, but, what I can gather is that you are pretty darn good at bridging the gap between past and present in the stories that you tell through your artwork. In addition to that, the way that you do it, like you said, how you do it is based really the entire the physical part based on some old school methods way back.”

Angela Barrett – “But yet you’ve brought it to present day. Not again. Just the physical aspect, but what your message is sending through this art right?”

Karl Wilkes – Correct?

Angela Barrett – Correct. Get it? What’s throughout that?

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. Well it’s it’s just part of you take yourself everywhere you go. You know, being raised old school, you know, parents, grandparents and really paying homage to what they’ve tried to teach. And you just want to, you know, each one teach work. You all have one. Go out and find one is to make sure that everybody understands.”

Karl Wilkes – “You know, your past dictates your future.”

Angela Barrett – Yes. Right.

Karl Wilkes – And so if I can share that and let people know that that is a gift as well as call the present. So you take your present and apply it every day and let people know how wonderful the life that you’re living can be and what kind of person you are. Because if you were. I say that there isn’t any bad people.

Karl Wilkes – “You know, you got some people with that, of course, you know, they might be metal, mentally challenged or something. You know, they do need be put away, but I see no art any better. People. I teach kids a basketball and all that stuff, and I see that any time you’re in any situation long enough, you become that situation.”

Karl Wilkes – “So if you take a good girl and put her in a group of bad girls at about three months, she’s a bad girl. So that means she’s mimicking or imitating that situation. So people around me and I conduct myself in a certain way, old school, in school, a date, be tomorrow and around me long enough it will gravitate, it will rub off on you and you start to see things differently.”

Karl Wilkes – “And start to appreciate the past because not all about the future where we came from, how we got there and how we can respect and bring that forward. But just because we went past it, you don’t forget about. Sure. I’m trying my best to allow people not to forget the past, because what happens? It changes the thinking patterns because they would think that what they came, where they came from and needed to get to that point.”

Karl Wilkes – Wasn’t it poor.

Angela Barrett – Right.

Karl Wilkes – “Is about where I am now. I am not forget everything else is not. No, we’re not going to play that game, you know.”

Angela Barrett – Right?

Karl Wilkes – “Remember what got you to where you are, your struggles. You know, the good times, the bad times, everything. Let it be known so people can know more about who you are as a person.”

Angela Barrett – “Right? I agree, I was there was something I was going to say to that, but it went right out the door. So what was the very first piece of art you ever actually sold?”

Karl Wilkes –

Karl Wilkes – “It was, actually, I won in South Carolina, the state there art contest, did a painting of a doll, my best friend’s doll, eating out of a bowl. The doll may recall, was it was a collie, and I drew it, went home and painted it, put it in the state of mugs like, oh, that’s really good. I had a little quick story for you this Mother’s Day.”

Karl Wilkes – “Oh, that’s really good. Just put it in that state there. So want to put it in. You know, actually once that time somebody bought it and that was the case.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah. So then you were how old when that happened.

Karl Wilkes – So Jesus that was a great.

Angela Barrett – “Oh great day. Yeah. I hope you got your piece back from the state Fair quicker than my son got his, but it took us forever. He had a piece that was a blue ribbon, art. And it was one of those abstracts where I went. And. What, son? What is that? You not. But he and my mother.”

Angela Barrett – “He and my mother got it. I forgot a little bit of tears for me. But they are the artist, the true artist in our family. And she knew exactly what it was. I’m going what is stuck at? And but it was great. But it took us forever to get that back. What do you what? You’re going to tell me a funny story?”

Karl Wilkes – “Word art. It’s so, you know, everybody is the size of the brain that you have to operate on. But, I was again in fifth grade, and I drew Bambi and Thumper. Okay. And my, teacher wanted to meet with my mother, and I was like, why? She said, I need to speak with my.”

Angela Barrett – And see.

Karl Wilkes – “I told her mother. So we came to the school and she was like, you know, your son is really talented. She said, what do you mean to to look at this? And it was the drawing with Bambi in thought, red color with markers and everything, you know, she said, I have never seen someone draw a Disney character better than the Disney character.”

Angela Barrett –

Karl Wilkes – “As of the day, I’m a student with this, like, rid of me that that man up the studio.”

Angela Barrett –

Karl Wilkes – How do you draw something better than it is?

Karl Wilkes – Yeah.

Angela Barrett – Yep. That’s kind of where this thing about you in New York right now.

Karl Wilkes – “They say New York is a big deal. Is is it’s, it’s growing out of control. It’s it’s getting really, really big.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah.

Karl Wilkes – “Okay. I’ll be back in New York, in January, then, to do another short Agora, for the entire month.”

Angela Barrett – “Oh, wow.”

Karl Wilkes – Knowledge black history Month or a recognition black history course. A quarter of tour lands. There.

Angela Barrett – Yeah.

Karl Wilkes – “It’s called, Does the show in February. It’s, another Gotham. Believe it is something like I was like, okay, it’s not that bad.”

Angela Barrett – “So yeah, we let me ask you, are you creating new pieces for this? Is this still part of some of you have some of your works, that you’ve already done and are known for, I’m sure. But are you creating new pieces for this.”

Karl Wilkes – “Or the show coming up in February? My focus is to pretty much unload, give it all the energy I got, one man show off. I get one shot at the time, and I’m here with everything that I have, so I don’t have time to create anything new, But I’m, You know, I do have piece that are current, but, you know, I don’t.”

Karl Wilkes – “I won’t be able to I won’t sell, will be able to, but I don’t plan to have anything new to show. That’s not important to me right now. I want to give them everything that I see, where I stand, and see what changes and adjustments I make in order to, take me to the next level. So I’ll let them see where I’m at.”

Karl Wilkes – “Arthur, chill.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah. There you go. Now, what would you say your favorite piece that you’ve ever done?”

Karl Wilkes – I don’t know if you have it before you. This is blue piece called the Dark.

Angela Barrett –

Karl Wilkes – It’s a bridge with this one. Okay. Yeah. That’s I mean if you see the paint on it is powder like van.

Angela Barrett – Go on.

Karl Wilkes – “It is so spiritual to me and it’s everything that I am my whole life. Yeah. Yeah. The turbulent waters and this soul old boat is going down a river by itself, almost unmanned. But that’s me there in the abyss of life. Feeling so alone that you’re not really there. But same time. This light down stream, it channels this way under the bridges, all the way up under the boat and then out of the picture.”

Karl Wilkes – “But it’s like, no matter what I go through in life and bridges, I have to go easily. Three oh, I was to follow the light, which, very spiritual in my work. So I’m always following the light no matter how bad it gets or whatever. Still on this court, right? It’s not a drawing line, but it’s a line of light.”

Karl Wilkes – “So as long as that continue to follow the light, whichever way it can go, it can go in any direction, because the waters are crazy.”

Angela Barrett – “No, it’s not a straight line.”

Karl Wilkes – “So yeah, it’s just, you know, that’s that’s my favorite piece because the, the, the, the ranges that I’ve taken, with all the different, you know, light loops just, I think I’ve taken it to a rate that it would most go to as well as purple. Kept it in the North.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah. So now what was going on at your life at that time that created that? I mean, do you,”

Karl Wilkes – The pandemic.

Angela Barrett – Now? Yeah. Gosh. Yes.

Karl Wilkes – “The pandemic, we.”

Angela Barrett – All kind of fell over swimming fish out of water that fall into an absolutely.

Karl Wilkes – “Endemic was, was, were unreal. I created within three months time because I had to go home stay gone.”

Angela Barrett – There.

Karl Wilkes – “And I, I lost my, my create large scale paintings 53 months. Matter of fact, Harriet Tubman was done during that time. And it’s because up there with the hood of a car, also restore frames. I get 15, 16 17th century frames that pretty much ready for the dumpster, and I restore them to like it was brand new.”

Karl Wilkes – “So I restore 12 frame Lord. Now and then I’m down repainting all remade corners. All of that did the paintings because when I say I lost my mind, a pandemic hit and I thought it was the end of the world, I really did. You know, I got into my artistic morning, I was like, oh my God, what am I going to do if we’re going to die?”

Karl Wilkes – “And then let them not works here for people that’s got to survive and come behind us or whatever the case may be. I have to do more. And I just went on this tear house. I was painting, I was probably getting 2 to 4 hours of sleep, three months. So yeah, I was gone. I want to tell you.”

Karl Wilkes – “And I’m I’m sending it, working on the frames and restoring these old center frames, trying to bring the parts to the present to start a new type there. I was just I was here, and and that was just, you know, the pandemic did all that.”

Angela Barrett – “Yeah. It was it was tragic, too, for a lot of people. And and I don’t mean tragic in used the way of death. I just mean as in how they felt during that time, it’s such as such a shame that they, the world was shut down at the time. I understand now that that was probably not even necessary, but, the everybody has their opinion about that.”

Angela Barrett – “And each year you don’t do another one do so. But yeah, it was, not a good time and I for really feel sorry for the children that went through that because you know, they socialization is a big part of education. And a lot of that was taken away for a very long time for them. And I think a lot of them were affected greatly by that.”

Angela Barrett – You.

Karl Wilkes – Probably.

Angela Barrett – I’m sorry.

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah. It was a terrible thing. Yeah. And you know me as an artist, of course. You know, they say all artists are crazy here, but it just it did. It did a number on me. Because I never thought about myself. I always thought about everybody else. And trying to, help people through my works, you know?”

Karl Wilkes – “Right. The stay smart, how to keep, you know, keep doing, look, I have this thing that where once you get older and time starts to play through tricks on you.”

Angela Barrett – “It’s not for the weak of art, that’s for sure.”

Karl Wilkes – “Feel more like, you know, things go as they do, as they do. One of the first things they do in a doctor or a nursing home or whatever, they put an easel and some paint brushes in your face, and you sit near old and pay. They make paint. This because painting and art is like gymnastics for the brain.”

Karl Wilkes – “Yeah, it’s just like a kid that won’t speak or talk or, you know, had an unfortunate anything in their life. Put the paper and markers down and whatnot, and they would draw you the whole story. You know, something terrible happened in the house or something happened to them. They would they they won’t see it, but they will draw it out.”

Karl Wilkes – “So it’s a, you know, universal language that can relate to all of me. So language. So I try to teach it. So pandemic, you know, I’m trying to say, hey, look, you know, this is how I was. This is what went through history. This how you can have a better life if you survive this mess.”

Karl Wilkes – Soup.

Angela Barrett – Absolutely.

Karl Wilkes – No. I I’ll be the first to.

Angela Barrett – “So let me ask you this, Waltz fine Art gallery, which is. And, Renaissance Plaza here in Columbia. When can people when is it open for people to go and see your works?”

Karl Wilkes – “Used by appointment only. Because, sometime.”

Angela Barrett – “Near an event, then. We need to get together and have an event.”

Karl Wilkes – “Absolutely. All of my thing is to, plan an exhibit, for myself once every four months. But at the same time, try to give the, unknown artist or have place of origin for the artist that can’t get in seems or galleries because they don’t have exhibition experience. Give them that place of origin so they can have a place, put up the words, you know, have the proper reception of function and then we can move them on to the next level.”

Karl Wilkes – “And that’s the problem. A lot of artists, they don’t have a place of origin that work. You showing your work that, nowhere and that nowhere continues to be their life. So if I can change that. Yeah. By helping them and saying, hey, look at that place for you. We can show you work, we give you a reception.”

Karl Wilkes – You like that? That’s what Wilkes Gallery and Fine Arts is.

Angela Barrett – “I love it, I love it. So last question. As an artist sum up in one sentence, your message to the world. One sentence.”

Karl Wilkes – And I still.

Angela Barrett – “Yeah, sure. Does your message.”

Karl Wilkes – Message to the world is make a difference with the gift that you have. And the gift that you have is your life.

Angela Barrett – “I love it. Yep, I love it. That was, Rosa Parks told you that, right? I love it. Yep. That’s a good one. Well, thank you so very much. This was so exciting. I’ve been waiting for this one, and I’m glad that we finally got to, talk. You are my first visual artist. Finally. And, I am excited, to talk with you today.”

Angela Barrett – Yeah. And let’s let’s plan an event for sure.

Karl Wilkes – Absolutely. Yeah. So I have a challenge for you. Okay.

Angela Barrett – I.

Karl Wilkes – “Oops. And being the first artist. There we go with the first thing again. Well, the first year, to send me to your show about all of the check in. So, yeah, people like myself and, you know, other unknown celebrities, they. I don’t think.”

Angela Barrett – “You’re unknown, but go ahead.”

Karl Wilkes – “We do say three months a quarterly. So it’s chicken time. We’re going to check in with this person. That person better just don’t do the show and then thanks for doing the show. And then people with your audience, like one would have to say so and then.”

Angela Barrett – “Oh, I love it. That’s a great idea. I’m going to implement that absolutely immediately.”

Karl Wilkes – Oh like oh the chicken.

Angela Barrett – Yeah love. And I’m stealing the check in two. Yeah. We’re too late. I’ve already tagged it.

Karl Wilkes – Hey there. You know.

Angela Barrett – “Perfect. Well, thank you again for being here today at the.”

Angela Barrett – All right.