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Dennis Paul Williams: At home

Robert R. Jones III

St. Martinville — Artist, musician and spiritual philosopher Dennis Paul Williams is a unique child to St. Martinville, and one who perhaps exemplifies the best of his hometown community.

Having traveled the world as an artist and musician, he has a view unique to the few blessed enough to enjoy such experiences, but his outlook and philosophy reflect his time in his community on the Teche, a place he still calls home and where he creates art appreciated around the globe.

Williams’ outlook and philosophy also reflect the travels of a learned man coupled to the heart of a hometown son.

He describes his work as not having a style but a voice — very eclectic, possessing of love, self expression and his faith.

“My art is a meditation,” Williams, 48, says of his work. “Each piece is more a prayer than an image. What I try to create comes from the heart.”

And this way of life reflects in all Williams does.

Whether it be playing music with his brother, Nathan, and the Zydeco Cha Chas, creating art unique for its blending of medium, or simply holding a heartfelt conversation, his honesty and faith-driven philosophy are never far from his words and actions.

While many with less success than Williams would have walked away from a small south Louisiana town soon after finding acknowledgement for their work, Williams sees St. Martinville as ever his home, his place in the world to hang his hat when his is not working and traveling anywhere from Los Angeles to Japan to Vienna.

And with this attitude and love for his home town he carries an obligation to never forget his roots regardless of where he goes.

“Often, people are taught to go elsewhere for success,” he says. “But despite all my travels, I always gravitate back to where I came from. Through lesser things, the greater things are shown.”

This love of his home town also translates to the residents of the community he calls his friends, family, neighbors, and — as a city councilman — constituents.

“To be a true artist is to be giving and sharing,” Williams says. “The process of creating has its roots in giving and sharing. To me, they are just different types of mediums with the same basic outcome. Being an artist is about sharing, not impressing. I try not to separate myself, but to use my talents to include people in the process of my life.”

The process of his life has not been an easy road, but one Williams embraced.

He lost his father, Sydney Williams, when he was 10 and grew up with his mother, Florida. But, he says, his father’s death contributed to his growth as a person and artist.

“It affected me — I really became conscious immediately,” he said reflecting on the times. “It was a wake-up call for me. Since I didn’t have a father, I sort of had to substitute with creativity. I not only learned to be more creative but to work with what I had, with the talents God gave me.”

Williams adds that what he lacked in material goods, his family made up for in love and wisdom to guide his path as a young man.

“Those were challenging days, but I was always open to my family’s wisdom,” he said. “I learned early on the only shortcut (to life and its challenges) is wisdom and I could see they had that. It was a great opportunity to get to know myself better. I began to dig within myself and I am still doing that. I try to use the gifts God gave me and those gifts get me recognized.”

As he uses his gifts, Williams also said he tries to be careful of his time to make sure there is enough time for his wife, Paulette Raymond, a teacher a Trinity Catholic in St. Martinville, and his daughters, Ryan Denise and Hillary.

His philosophy revolves around his strong faith in God and his repayment of the Lord’s love by making use of the time and gifts bestowed him at birth.

“You can’t recycle time,” Williams says. “You need to always make the most of the time at hand. Although we can’t always understand God’s purpose, we must exercise the spirit moment by moment in the most honest way. We must build with what is at hand and be respectful of the material God gave us.”

Several years ago, Williams took his faith and struck out on a new venture, helping people in his town by serving on the city council.

He says he did so not by following tried and true political means but by following his heart and God’s direction.

“I was the first person in the history of St. Martinville to be elected without putting one sign in anyone’s yard,” he said. “At the time, Eric Martin was mayor and he told me that was not the way to run a campaign, but God told me to show up and he would take care of it.”

And his philosophy of kindness and giving in his art translates to his service to his community.

“I feel when I am on the council, I should only say something when I have something to say,” Williams said. “If I voice an opinion, it needs to be part of a positive change. My whole life has been about taking chances and risks to grow, and what better risk is there than to show the people here I appreciate them.

“My faith prefaces my whole life, and this is about accepting and respecting people’s differences to create the right atmosphere, because without it, nothing will grow.”

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