A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, James Joseph Williams began his portrait career in 1974. Having a rich heritage of artists in his family, Williams' great-grandmother, Ada Gregg Williams, a published artist, was a contemporary and student of Frank Duveneck, at the Cincinnati Art Academy. His great-grandfather, Bernard Berling, was a marble sculptor in Cincinnati at the turn of the century. A member of the American Society of Portrait Artists and the Portrait Society of New York, Williams has also studied with renowned artists Daniel Greene, John Howard Sanden, and Nelson Shanks.

Williams has painted hundreds of portraits that can be found in hospitals, corporate headquarters, federal courthouses, and private homes throughout the country. He has a vast art library that chronicles the great old master portrait painters of the past centuries. Williams says that he is always studying the lighting, shadow, color, pose, and composition of the great master artists, such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Bouguereau, Sargent, and Rockwell, who are his greatest influences.

Speaking of his subjects, Williams says, "I love to paint those who have made their mark in the world or simply love fine art and appreciate this noble artistic tradition of portraiture." Some of his notable subjects include Dr. Jonas Salk, developer of the polio vaccine; Truett Cathy, Founder and Chairman of Chick-Fil-A; Dave Thomas, Founder and Chairman of Wendy's; U.S. Federal Judges, and numerous corporate and philanthropic leaders, as well as many private family portraits.