Jesse Howard

Urban Chaos: Conte crayon, acrylic paint- Size 30”x38”- Completed 2023

Blues For Naima: Charcoal, acrylic paint- Size 34”x45”- Completed 2021

The Reluctant Ribbon Merchant: Conte crayon, acrylic paint- size 40”x50”- Completed 2023

A Selfie Experience: Charcoal, acrylic paint - Size 40”x50”- Completion 2022

The Bewitching Hour: Charcoal, acrylic paint, collage- Size 30”x30” -Completed 2012

Moment in Time: Charcoal, acrylic paint - Size 40”x72”- Completed 2021-22

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Artist Statement

Howard’s work is relevant and provoking while masked by beautifully expressive lines and pops of color.  If some of his work makes you feel disheartened, angry, or energized, well, it should. Howard combines imagery culled from many sources such as news reports about police brutality, witnessed homelessness and desperation, as well as rising activism, such as The Movement for Black Lives. He creates his characters from lived experiences—both personal and those of others—and when viewing his work, you feel their sorrow, defiance, determination, and anger.

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I am a Chicago based artist. Periodically, I visit my old neighborhood in Chicago to record images and go beyond the negative to showcase African American culture in all its beauty, reality, and essence. Most recently, I was featured in the New Art Examiner magazine in 2024 and exhibited at the EXPO CHICAGO24 with Bert Green Fine Art Gallery.  In addition, I was a featured artist in The Color of Art Documentary directed by David Weatherby. This film won a Black Excellence Award in the category of Film Director at the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago.