The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Friday, July 16, 1994

At Home with William Tolliver

By Tinah Saunders

At home with Carpenter-turned-painter William Tolliver, 44, has works in galleries from Louisiana to Chicago to New York. Artfully textured and layered, the walls of his Lithonia home set off his works to advantage.

Only 11 years ago, William Tolliver was a carpenter in Lafayette, La. Who painted as a hobby. Today he’s a renowned artist with works in galleries from Louisiana to Chicago to New York. “I didn’t mean for it to get so big,” he says. “It was a hobby, but now it’s work”

The 44-year-old painter moved his family to Atlanta three years ago. He has a gallery and studio at the stony complex at 2300 Peachtree Road.

My house: A 4-year old, two story, brick traditional on one acre in a subdivision of $250,000.00-to-$335,000.00 homes in Lithonia.

Roommates: Wife Debrah; daughter DeAnna 15; sons Richard, 11, and Demetri, 9; and one cat that is “like having another kid.”

Distinguishing feature: Naked walls with strategically placed picture hooks. The artist is constantly reworking his paintings and, despite having a gallery, sells them literally off the walls. His work is finished “when somebody busy it.” All the walls are a canvas, however, and several have been textured and layered with paint as backgrounds for his work.

Where I can hang out: The kitchen, where he loves to cook low-fat, Creole-style dishes with turkey sausage, heart-healthy oils and medium-hot spices. He also loves to work at the plain, scrubbed kitchen table: a floor-to-ceiling bay window floods the area with light. The walls are unhampered and unpainted and under speculation by their artistic owner.

Favorite room: The den, furnished with black upholstery and teal carpeting and - most important - a large-screen television. He loves to watch boxing. (“I tape the matches and watch them again and again.”)

Decorating style: “Eclectic,” says the artist, who likes to “gather things together, and then arrange them.” He likes old furniture and his wife likes contemporary, so the décor is a work in progress. But Tolliver’s touch is everywhere, from his paintings and sculptures to the textured and colored walls in the foyer and dining room. Several of the works displayed in the house were designated family heirlooms and will never be sold.

The collecting bug: Antiques and objects that intrigue his artist’s eye. He admits to buying on impulse. “I’ll probably have a warehouse full before I’m finished,” Tolliver says.

Where I paint: He does most of his work in his studio on the lower level of the Tolliver Gallery, but rather than leave work at the office, he often begins projects at home, moving them from room to room as the light changes.

What I’d change if I could: Fewer and bigger rooms with higher ceilings (his are 9 feet) and move wall space for hanging art. He would furnish the house with antiques and modern art.

Next Project: The music room. He will paint horns on the walls and a grand piano on canvas for the floor and will furnish the room with a baby grand.