The Making of a Master - BBC Documentary 2016

oh he's a Leo he's king of his own castle even from a toddler he had arrived at the side of the bed and you would know by what he was wearing you know as to what your day was gonna be like because it either be in football kit and have a ball tucked under his arm and you then have to get up and get him out for air and exercise or you know it would be something else this is three year old Karen Williams already determined and on the verge of becoming a world famous child prodigy it's brilliant to her okay never look at dinosaurs I can love being in there all day you painting is his life at just six years old he was thrust into the media spotlight with buyers worldwide prepared to pay thousands for his work at 14 he's already worth around 2 million pounds his success is no accident behind this talent is an extraordinary family where's the caviar mother meat team Williamson at their home in North Norfolk this is where it all happens I'm Karen I'm an artist I play football and I am a proud supporter of the in tonight I'll be a Joan twelve years old and i'm karen says down my lovemaking joy i'm keith husband to Michelle and father tick Karen and Billy Joe my main jobs within the company are to get Karen up and out painting in the morning and sharing his stuff around and also to buy and sell artwork I'm Michelle I'm mum to Karen and Billy Joe and I help to run the family business 14 year old Kiera is preparing for his biggest event of the year his annual exhibition at the picture craft gallery in Holt Norfolk in five weeks he'll be exhibiting new landscape paintings and a brand new venture large studio portraits the whole family is involved we're such a tight network aren't we as a as a for when you think that we're all at home pretty much all day every day we get on really well and you have to because all all of our stress comes all at the same time for everybody that there isn't there isn't an encourager in this time to be honest Michelle and Keith had no business experience they've had to learn everything from scratch it was 2010 that was the the year all got stressful for us because Kieran had reached the VAT threshold so we were forced to put a business structure in place and so we sought legal and financial advice neither of us particularly wanted to be in a position where we were running a limited company we didn't know anything about it we didn't want to be directors did we the whole implications of you know was Kieran gonna be allowed to be a director no he couldn't because he wasn't legally old enough and who do you get into to run a business like this you know who do you trust and so we realized that you know we would probably be the best Guardians for the business and for Kieran it's all year round really I mean this Keith getting up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning to take Kieran on location but pre exhibition is the busy time sure she's busy busy stressful time because there's just so much to remember um this gonna be his 10th exhibition with picture craft it is becoming easier you know we feel as if we're growing into it Keith my I haven't trained to do this it's not our expertise at all so you do feel as if you swimming upriver with mum and dad running his financial affairs Kieran is free to paint most days it's early June today he's on the North Norfolk coast starting a new painting which might feature in his exhibition I reckon it needs to be about here not a lot for the left no I think it's because we only get this big vessel inning that was that's the foreground feature yeah which could take a figure come in India and the whole thing winding lining through to the church it's a classic classic North Norfolk st we shot this and I mean I don't think you could get more classic than that relay Kieran's had no formal training that artist David Curtis often accompanies him on his painting trips he's become a friend and mentor just the buzz of it getting up in the morning and finding inspiration still I don't think I'll ever run out of inspiration you just see things all the time we think that'd make a nice picture and it's the constant inspiration I think that keeps me going you do lose yourself in periods of painting you're so engrossed in the picture and focusing on what what you're done making sure everything you're doing is right so I don't hardly ever think about what where it goes where it's going to go or where it's going to sell or anything like that I saw all about a moment in time he's chosen Morstan key on the North Norfolk coast on a gray day it is still nice this got enough content in it in the landscape to make a painting but equally as lovely on the bright bright sunny day the light on the mother just has everything everything you want as an artist as the ester e-boats the sky that's got X got everything the distinction between the the estuary bank and the that's all chafing his leg supposedly some art critics have said that he already paints like an old master David who has had a similar journey from a young painter to a well-respected artist his well-placed to help Karen through this critical period Kimmons probably one or two of a generation will be a few in each generation and they probably are many people who have got the aptitude but whether they grasp the nettle and actually do anything about it is another issue now he has he's seen the light very early in his years and suddenly realized I can't do this and I'm going to develop it Polly subconsciously the mini-money a little the little kid is now bordering on an adult so he's going to have to mix with his peers and so his work will won't be seeing quite as a unique I mean you could call it the bubble bursting but because he's got all his foundation so well in place and his technique is so assured as he moves forward into adulthood his painting will take on a maturity and it won't be big leaps of progress it will be steady away and eventually he'll reach his plateau where intellectually he may change his ideas but let's wait and see hey nice to me I'm Thomas from Berlin I must try I must tell you something last year in September was the first time in Great Britain my son lives in Norwich and I saw the Dragons and before oh yeah yeah I said yes uh-huh wow this Karen's been spotted by a tourist from Germany who has seen his work and I wish you good luck and always get her hands and wonderful eyes thank you very much off thinking lovers what to do yeah that's me thank you very much Kieran takes all the attention in his stride that's lovely when Kira first hit headlines you didn't know when it was ever gonna start stop finish or anything and when someone phoned up to say can we film akhirin you just used to say yeah because you just wanted to get him out on film just part of his history but we thought it was a one minute you story yeah so you've done everything we were are um and now obviously I mean we get loads of requests but not you mister not we just we haven't got the time to do any work via what but it's nice to work with people you know and friendly faces were Aaliyah's and that's what we like but bizarrely Samsung have wanted Karin to stand on top of a mountain in Spain to hold one of the keys Mo's for an advert gap closing have wanted him to travel to Los Angeles to model their clothes in scientists have wanted to place electrodes on his head when he's been painting so that they can assess his brain activity when when he's he's been drawing and painting they've wanted to study him drawing still life things to see how he's different from from other artists astrologers have been in touch with us wanting to know the exact time of his birth so that they can work out what the planets were doing at the time just to try and understand where where it gets it the last thing is well it doesn't get it from us did you say yes to any of that yeah we did it what Samsung in that is that's really nice of them and like I think it was Nintendo and that just didn't consider him I mean because at the end of the day this thousands of people out there who they could to choose oh yeah that end bit is quite miss Qian after I've finished one pitcher adjourn one-one paint a picture there'll be something else I'll see and the one I think that the inspiration on the drive of getting better and hopefully improving my work yeah in less than four hours Karen's finished you happy with it yeah yeah yeah yeah not bad the next step will probably be sort of taking at home Stewie tidying up a couple of cup of a couple of areas and including the figure and then I'll probably do scaler up save so dealt on the bigger one and by the stored upstairs or that be it'll be included in the next exhibition to date the top price paid for one of his landscapes is fifty five thousand pounds so tell me what you've been finding out about the calyx then um well sort of the the celtic month calendar months and the names and the meanings Kieran is home-schooled with his sister the decision the family didn't take lightly yeah I think it's a difficult decision for any parent to make um what options there their child is is gonna have her for high school and we did go through all our options available to us at the time I think having seen how Kieran and Billy Joe of both flourished as a result of that freedom in that process we feel that even now it's still the right right decision to have made the information they're taught by his retired primary school teacher Beryl Knowles he used to get up at some one earthly hour of the morning and do lots of painting and then not exactly be dragged kicking and screaming to school but he was he would come with some reluctance I think he's better said whereas now if that see if that's what he wants to do I mean he told me the other morning you've been up really early to paint the fog okay well that's fine go and paint the fog because that's when it's there and when you come home and have your breakfast and have a shower you might feel like doing a bit of school work that wouldn't happen if you have to go to school the family home is full of art everywhere you turn there's a Segoe or a Walter Langley I like how he's painted you know like the pillow and got a light and shade on the pillow and how well he's painted the hands they say you tell good the painter is by how well he's painted the hands you can tell they're how good he was I think paintings in my blood whether I like it or not I don't think I'll ever stop painting it's just like my best friend these are the great artists who inspire Karen to be even better all he can see is the Newlands school you're Edward CEOs new Munnings and he wants to get to where they were or above where they were that's what that's his driven fact I mean no just hope he continues early do what he wants today yeah I've sluggin to be a footballer Hayden I would I'd like him to playfully Jenai I didn't hold that Premiership cut that has capped and that would do me our caelius childhood behind his work is changing he's beginning to experiment more with figurative paintings and drawing it out a moment just to give me an idea of the composition and then I'll start to paint you you you you you you hello how are you all right how are you nice to see you see you young man thank you all right it is indeed in the last year Kiran has produced just under a hundred paintings oils pastels - watercolors whittling them down to just over 40 pieces for the exhibition can be difficult so the family take advice from Adriene Hill who runs the gallery where Kieran's work will be sold 25 paintings will also be available to buy from a mailing list three weeks before the exhibition opens the online sale came about from very hectic opening days where literally I had people traveling from all over the world and camping in the car park you know on that on the week weeks leading up to the exhibition and you know we opened the doors and it was literally you know it's almost like the first day of a hard sale it was sort of a lot quite fights breaking out but it wasn't it wasn't far off so we had to manage that process and also we had to find a way of selling paintings fairly these are the ones that will go out to me to the mailing list all right so again as a nice portfolio if you work for different sizes as well so you got four different price points and you've got an element of Cornwall there lovely painting of Norfolk 2 and then stuff with as well sailor so that's that's absolutely super typically the smaller paintings sell for 2,000 pounds larger pieces around 30,000 okay shows that you got from home yep everything is like they were white pearls and another one in on the engine and fiber and a turn that girl when she's not helping out with preparations for the exhibition sister Billie Joe is working on her own commercial project making jewelry when we come over here for the exhibition I tend to like spend my time in Lisa's shop and then like we just bounce off ideas and dip in and out of here and pitch craft so I like help package Kevin's cards now come over here again I don't really get just because I get just as much attention and I just like enjoy what I'm doing and I just think his like thing that he does is like amazing so yeah I'm not jealous at all yep everyone's agreed on the final selection of paintings but so far Karen's commercial success has hinged on him being a child artist I think probably going forward you know commercially for Karen um you know changing from a child to an adult is probably only comparable to that of the great Pablo Picasso because he was only nine years old when he had his first exhibition and we all know what an incredibly successful career that he forged and I think commercially Kieran will probably find that you know as an adult he will maybe continue continue to paint I mean who knows that he knows of the future but I think he'll probably evolve his style somewhat and I think he will probably take his collectors along you know with him so far Kieran's not had to think about the commercial side keith and michelle act as his agent manages money which is held in trust and even helped choose the paintings for the exhibition mom and dad have been really good for taking that pressure off me saying what you've got is what we'll go in we always get one and two popular ones every year um but I don't feel that I have to paint you know because seven or eight of them because that's what so because I don't sort of sell my soul or paint what sort of fires me up and they'll be certain scenes that I will paint two or three times just because I love painting them but I never if my heart in that I don't dirt I think you're driven because it's something that you're interested in but it's the other commercial side that we don't feel comfortable with because we're in actually private family and you know being in front of the cameras doesn't you know it's not comfortable it doesn't come easy necessarily but it's something that you know has is part of the package and Kieran's happy to do it it's a weird well you seem happy in front of the camera that you don't come get all cut it's Thursday the 9th of June the day the online sale begins in a few minutes eleven and a half thousand people on their mailing lists will be the first to see Karen's 2016 work it's unique because most buyers prefer to viewer painting in person Kieran's popularity means his fans will buy online on that particular email is all of their prices images that are available for sale if I look here we've had somebody open one in Armenia there we've got a Germany and France and Spain Switzerland obviously in the UK as well because we're you know we've got most of Karen's clients you know still it still UK base but we've got them being opened in the States in a number of different states North Carolina Massachusetts New York Pennsylvania and Dallas Oklahoma and so uh South Africa just had a had one opened Australia so Papua New Guinea Indonesia while Adrian manages the online sale team Williamson are busy finishing the framing he ensign that do you want him to sign that Kieran you need to sign it please need sign a night okay do we're doing hair all yeah it's gonna get this I think we decided to do most of the frame in ourselves didn't we to minimize the risk of accidents happening if it happens in the house we then haven't got to worry about insurance and accident reports and blame and stuff um like the same frame depth um yeah it's our way of detaching from it and making sure that it gets sent out in the best possible condition we know that the framers will do a good job but we would worry more if pictures were off-site than we would knowing that they're all here and um yes our way of saying goodbye is we have had to learn how to do it from scratch it's not something that we we knew have to do but thankfully Michael Hill at the framers well he gave you some sessions to know when Karen first sold his paintings there was several it or unsigned so we had to strip them back out and he gave me a crash course on how to frame and then if we ever get stuck we just burned him up and he's there with his wisdom and knowledge is it the right way out yeah yay finish top it's the day before the exhibition opens online sales are going well with some buyers purchasing a care and Williamson painting as an investment but he also has a hard core following of loyal fans like Kimberley Walker who treasure their painting at his first exhibition people were phoning up for specific paintings which weren't available and then I'll skiing to have any of the paintings regardless of which ones they were so I think maybe those people are buying the paintings or some sort of investment for the future and so they've got a different approach to doing that I personally would want to choose the painting because I love it but everyone's different and they have different reasons for buying them from the family point of view it's the lovely keepsake to pass through the family Kieran is no longer a child but so far the interest in him shows no sign of stopping today a French TV company has come to film in France we have a lot a lot a lot of artists but that's a country of artists but we don't have our Kirin we don't have a prodigy like him so that's why it was really important to witness and to show him to France Karen will stay in the memories I think maybe you really see him in history books because it's so white you don't see that every day what is silence at this age it's the first day of the tenth exhibition today buyers will decide what they are willing to pay the Kieran's were fully open I'm sort of really excited especially the night before it's just excited I can't wait to get here and then so as we get here know some stuff kicking ass or worried if I'm worried that so the public reaction won't be very good but let us sort of normal just because this year especially with sort of doing more portraiture and people not sure how that how well we received it's the first year overseeing care and excited to come to his own exhibition you know I think he was waiting for the feedback on his portraiture and he's worked really hard in the studio and you know years work or longer than a year really some other and he's just really buzzing today I mean dad sort of say sometimes girl wonder what I'd be doing now or where be doing now find sort of found thing that's pretty hard to imagine life without I'm really really happy her has happened you know yeah I can't imagine myself without painting anymore Michelle and Keith are already planning for the next stage in Karen's Korea next year they are releasing a new book charting his work and influences when Kirin reaches 18 he will take financial control of his own business with his parents carrying on as directors but for now his focus is painting I never sort of think what I'll do and the money I'm so more happy to get back into my stage and get cracking down pinkie sort of working towards the exhibition next year we always thought with an exhibition this is definitely this will be the last one because he's got bound to give it up because he was a young boy growing up he never I mean Karen changed his mind so many times with toys with everything really and he's always had this pad for so many weeks then he moves on so you every exhibition we've done we thought this is this will be the last one it's really make make it a nice one and he's right here he has printed off I think I'll always carry on pink the love books I know in myself that I've got the drive to carry on paintin and so it might be difficult for mum and dad they might not know if I'll carry on painting but I knew to end myself I'll carry on painting

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Id: St5ciUhjRCQ

Length: 29min 0sec (1740 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 09 2016