Treat Yourself Guide: Art Edition

Me. With Cool Kid. Hebru Brantley #flex 

The other day I was watching The TERRELL Show on YouTube. Amber Riley was singing a cover of Jazmine Sullivan's song "Masterpiece". I was transported into a ponderance of what has typically been deemed a masterpiece. Nine times out of ten it's going to be something European, and will undoubtedly not represent people of color in any way that we find "majestic".  While the world has progressed, some communities haven't progressed as fast as we would like. The art community is one of them. 

Thankfully, over the years, I've been blessed to have met and interviewed several talented visual artists; from photographers, sculptors, and painters. So I'd like to help you out and ensure that if you're deciding to treat yourself to some art check out these dope individuals first! 

Let's get shopping shall we? 

1. Jeff Beckham - Art by Jeff Beckham. If you follow me on social media, you know I've interviewed Jeff Beckam a bunch of times. He's my homie. But as an artist, this guy creates mood pieces. The type of mood that the Hip-Hop lover would have in their private study or studio. The type of mood that an intellectual would have in their office. He creates the type of work where if someone were to walk into your dwelling they'd have a better understanding of what you're into. 

Take this one, for example, if you have this Sade painting in your home, odds are you're not the one to pop off at the club.  You are most likely to enjoy a glass of good red wine, undoubtedly paired with a good book, right? You can check out Jeff's work on his website. If you grab a painting or already have one, let me know how much you love it! 

2. Bart Cooper Art - Okay, Instagram isn't that bad all the time, I found Bart Cooper on IG,  I've covered so many "cool kids"  the algorithm just assumed I was in fact cool enough to know who Bart Cooper was. Why thank you, Instagram!  Check this out, ladies, this man turns our modern-day black women superheroes into ACTUAL SUPERHEROES. We didn't know we needed that, did we? 

His page description of this piece says the following, "Whether it's a piano, a sirenic voice, or a golden lasso of truth, every great woman in history had certain tools to see her through. As both heroes wore a cape woven with desire to prevent and end war, Nina Simone and Wonder Woman fought boldly with the powers they had in order to see change and save the people on a global scale. Both Wonder Woman and Nina had no problem changing the narrative to get results, even if it meant being on an island all by Herself. " Is it just me or am I more excited about the description than the painting?  IDK, I NEED IT Y'ALL. 

Jewel Ham, I learned of reading essence online. There was a feature on women artists and there she was, painting images that belong on Terry McMillan's book covers. She's a multi-media artist, so there's a lot of options to choose from the canvas', print, and tees. Dig into it! The photo is of the print I will definitely be purchasing this upcoming year called, "Get somewhere and sit down". How could you not live this?  

Farren Victoria. She's a beautiful spirit and a sensual artist. I was first introduced to her networking and she did a live painting demonstration. Her work embodies the organic lines and curves of a natural woman of the diaspora. This image is that of the Love Song poster print. Her use of color in this one just makes me feel all the warmth and fuzzies of a 70's soul ballad. Yet again another must-have. 

As I stated, I wouldn't publish anything within this guide that I didn't like. If I had the money I'd buy them all. Today. If your walls are the perfect hue of beige and need some flavor, here's enough to get you started. Drop a comment to tell me your favorite artists.