Nicholas Charles Williams was born in Surrey and studied at Richmond College. He is a figurative painter whose allegorical work is based on the early Baroque tradition.

In 2001 Williams was awarded the Hunting Art Prize, and was shortlisted for the Threadneedle Art Prize in 2008. He has enjoyed solo exhibitions at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum in Bournemouth, St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, Liverpool Cathedral, Truro Cathedral and the Royal Cornwall Museum. His work is held in Falmouth Art Gallery, the British Museum and the Frissiras Museum in Athens.

Currently he lives in Newquay, where he works from a former lifeboat station. He is also a dedicated surfer.

An exhibition of his work at the Drang Gallery, Padstow, in autumn 2015, was his first solo show for almost a decade. The exhibition included works from 'Demise of Compassion' - a project begun in 2004 in response to the Iraq War. Drawing on the still life 'vanitas' theme, a group of these paintings featured IEDs, in reference to the conflict.