We were lucky to catch up with Alexander Boyce recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexander thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always felt that my calling had to do with the arts. I’ve always been a creative but high school is where I would say it was solidified.

In high school, I was mostly quiet and sat at the back of the class but I particularly enjoyed anything that had to do with music or art.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I create art and fashion accessories for people who love art and want to make a statement.

Before this, I was a musician – I made jingles for reality TV shows; I produced music for independent artists; and I was once the lead singer of a rock band.

I’ve never been to art school but I always liked drawing, and as a teenager, I learned to sew and made my own clothes.

About 8 years ago, I woke up and started painting. Out of nowhere, I completely abandoned my music career and was instead painting every day. You could say I had a natural talent for it because, within weeks of me starting to paint, people were asking me to sell them my paintings.

About a year in on my painting journey, I got the idea to paint on bags as a means to get my work out into the world. I had learned that my art made people feel good so I was on a mission to paint the world because everyone needs to feel good.

In the summer of 2020, I was commissioned to paint a portrait of George Floyd, While working on that piece, for the first time in my life and in my 40s, I had an anxiety attack, which landed me in the ER. That incident had such an impact on my art that it shifted my trajectory.

I decided to go home to the Caribbean to get some clarity. I was going through something spiritual and my art was at the center of it. I spent one year and one month in the mountains in the Caribbean going to the river and the beach, being in nature and learning who I was and who I was becoming.

Before that incident, people used to say that my art was a late gift from my ancestors as all I painted were native Africans. I really didn’t believe any of that stuff then.

Now, I view myself as a channel. I choose when I paint but not who I paint. My work is to observe and relay. I am more deliberate now with my work. I’m very conscious of my energy, the energies around me and vibration when I’m working because I want to put good energies and high vibrations into my art.

Most of my clients are black women. My work resonates with them because I show them how beautiful they truly are. More than just their physical beauty, I capture their essence.

Throughout history, imagery has been used to create feelings of inferiority and self hate in black people. So I see my work as very important. I grew up in a house where there was a big painting of a white “St Michael the Arch Angel”, sword and shield in hand, slaying a black devil. These and many other images were created to dehumanize an already marginalized people. So my mission is to inspire feelings of self love and pride in my people.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

As a boy, I had so many people call me crazy, stupid, or a dreamer and, especially after being expelled from high school for poor grades, I was totally convinced that I was all of those things.

A major challenge for me as an artist and entrepreneur is pricing. My confidence was so affected by my upbringing that I was practically giving my work away. I sold someone a painting for $300 and they told me later that they would have paid me $2,000 had I asked for that much. Clients would tell me how it cost them more to frame my work than the actual painting itself but I didn’t think anything of it.

It was only when I was part of a group exhibit where I was the featured artist that I realized the other artists, who were not as established as I was, were selling their work for the same as I was. I had to unlearn what I thought was worth and reevaluate myself as a person and an artist. In doing so, I’ve learned my true value, what exactly is it I give.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Throughout history, imagery has been used to create feelings of inferiority and self hate in black people. From the painting of black people as monkeys to the endless movies celebrating and showcasing our suffering, I believe there is more than enough imagery to keep us thinking negative of ourselves.

My mission with my art is to counter those images and construct a new narrative where we, as black people, are proud and feel good about our history or present and our future.

Contact Info:

• Website: alexanderboycestudios.com
• Instagram: @iamalexanderboyce
• Facebook: Alexander Boyce Studios
• Youtube: Alexander Boyce