William Kwamena-Poh is an award winning self-taught artist from Ghana, West Africa. He came to the United States in the early 1980’s and has resided in Alabama, Washington DC, Chicago and has called Savannah, GA home since 1995. His studio is in the heart of Savannah’s City Market. William is internationally known for his series images of Women, Fisherman, Children and Market Scenes. His work is collected by private and public figures. His corporate collections include Disney Corporation, DuSable Museum, Amoco Corp., Ford Motors and Prudential Financial. In November 2019 William debuted his solo exhibit, “The Journey is Mine: Chapter One” at Savannah’s Telfair Museums – The Jepson Center.

William paints with gouache, also known as opaque watercolor; the same medium used by Jacob Lawrence and also experimented with by Dali, Picasso, and Klimt. “The density and opacity of gouache allows me to capture and give the viewer a small window into my beautiful and wonder-filled homeland. The sun’s strength is ever present, providing a colorful environment which is strongly reflected in Ghana culture and clothing,” says William.

William’s father was a notable history professor who spent most of his teaching career at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. He came to the U.S. in the early 1980’s as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching African history at Talladega College, AL. He brought young William with him, where he received his B.A. in Sociology. His father was aware of William’s budding artistic gift, inherited from his father who was an art teacher. However, William’s father hoped he would follow in his academic footsteps, sharing the history of his people. William has been doing just that for over 30 years, not in a classroom but with his paintbrush.

www.williamkfineart.net