Kenya Powell noticed the lack of color depicted in portraits and the lack of Black representation being shown in art, so she did something about it. Powell, known as Artist By Day, is an artist and graphic designer based in Atlanta. She is on a mission to uplift and inspire underrepresented communities with her art.
Kenya Powell spoke with rolling out about the inspiration for her work and why Black businesses are important.
What inspired you to get into creating paintings?
I’ve always been in the creative space, but I’m really inspired by Black people. When I was younger and I was doing a lot of art history classes I wasn’t seeing myself being represented in that space, so I wanted to create work that represented myself, and then people who look like me.
There’s a lot of Black girl magic in your art. Why did you choose that specific lane?
Women are beautiful. I want to paint women, I want to paint people who [look] like me.
Why are Black businesses important?
[For] Black businesses, it’s [about] unity. The important thing is keeping everybody together and making sure that we’re all united.
Who’s the Black woman that you’d want to give thanks to and why?
It would have to be my mother because without her, I wouldn’t be here.
Where can people find you?
My Instagram and TikTok is @artistbyday and my website is www.artistbyday.com.
