Heirs to Master Builders (2017) is a series that depicts local artisans who make and sell handwoven Palmetto Roses throughout Charleston. They are descendants of master builders and tradesmen—blacksmiths, masons, carpenters, butchers, mechanics, farmers, moonshiners, plasterers, gardeners, and cigar makers, among others—whose labor helped shape the region's physical and cultural landscape.

Using the rose itself as a mark-making tool, Williams repeatedly stamps a paint-filled rose onto a rice paper sheet. Through this repeated gesture, the roses accumulate to form a silhouetted figure.

These stamped silhouettes serve as both portraits and traces, defining the rose makers while also capturing the anatomy of the handcrafted Palmetto rose. Once the portrait is completed, the stamped silhouette is framed in a wooden haint-blue frame. This unique variation of blue haint is rooted in local folklore and is traditionally used on porch ceilings to ward off evil spirits. In keeping with this tradition, the soft blue frame becomes a protective shield for the maker inside.

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Notice Sticker
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