We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendall Robinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendall below.

Alright, Kendall thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

One new venture that I recently decided to partake in during the New Year is increasing my work with youth doing art outreach. It is one of my greatest passions to inspire children, especially in underserved communities to tap into their creative side and see art as an outlet and a tool for success. We as humans are innately creative and express that the most as children however, as we get older many of us are persuaded to put art on the back burner and focus on a career path that is more “stable” even if it is not rooted in our passions. Through my art classes with children I genuinely hope that my students gain a higher appreciation of art along with general motivation to pursue their passions and the confidence to believe in themselves and their abilities.

Kendall , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kendall Robinson and I am a professional artist, illustrator and instructor. I am a recent May 2022 graduate of The Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University. I originally went to Howard with the intent on pursuing a pre-med track of education. It only took one meeting with the faculty in the art department during freshmen week that encouraged me to make the complete switch. Art has been something I have loved ever since I was a child however, due to the ignorance surrounding the art world I was encouraged to pursue a more stable career path. That department meeting in 2018 gave me the courage to pursue what set my heart on fire. Art is something that has never failed to captivate my interest. In 2019 is when I began my art account currently known as Fine Art By Kendall Robinson. This is the entity through which I operate my social media presence and relevance in the art world. I am a firm believer that once I began to trust God’s plan for my life everything began to divinely align. To date I have had the opportunity to work with clients such as Beats By Dre, Warner Music Group, Amazon Studios, Universal Pictures, Monkeypaw Productions, I have also been able to illustrate three children’s books and had one of my paintings enter the permanent collection in the National Museum of African American Music. The majority of these accomplishments occurred during undergrad as well which contributed to my motivation to continue to pursue this path for my life.

The current products I provide now are custom paintings, original works, and prints of work I have completed. One of my goals is to get into mural work and be able to impact a larger amount of people through public art. I believe what sets me apart is the goal of my work. One of my more recent projects titled the Soleil Series. he goal of this project is to encapsulate and highlight the beauty of Black people through portraiture and color. Created as an ode to Alma Thomas, I aim to lena on the inspiration of vibrant color to evoke pride in who we are as men and women and ultimately as Black people.

Through my art I celebrate the beauty of Black people, promote awareness for diversity of black images, and to engage the public in conversation through visually stimulating art work.

I believe what makes the work so personal and engaging is due to the fact that not only are the models current and former students of Howard University, they are also members of D9 organizations. (Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.) Using my peers as models adds a certain kind of personable aspect to it and also influences them to utilize their various networks to increase engagement surrounding the work that is being created.

I truly hope that my legacy is a colorful one that inspires others to bet on themselves and to always pursue their passions. Ultimately I would love to continue my work of bringing art into the world and use the lessons I have learned to teach and inspire other creatives.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think the biggest lesson that I had to unlearn especially post grad is that everyone’s moving at the same pace. This may be financially, relationship wise or even mentally. It is so easy to believe that a 9-5 is the only way you can support yourself and your dreams and this might be the strategy for some but it does not have to be the pathway for everyone. My biggest takeaway from this is to remember that you are running your own race and that you are charting your own path. Comparison is the thief of joy and as long as you are disciplined enough to continue to do what you love, the rest will fall into place. If everyone’s life looked the same the world would be boring. Take pride in your journey and enjoy the ebbs and flows along the way.

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

My specific mission is to celebrate the beauty of Black people, promote awareness for diversity of black images, and to engage the public in conversation through visually stimulating art work. I have always been one who stood firmly in my stance to create work that is not rooted in Black trauma. I want my work to showcase Black and Brown people as multi dimensional beings rather than have them be trapped into a single narrative. This brings me to a very specific point in my creative journey which is experimenting with different ways to best convey this visually. I also am an advocate for including more arts in the schools and allowing children to get in touch with their creative side. I actively want to be an example of someone who was successful because they believed in themselves and their dreams.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fineartbykendallrobinson.com/
• Instagram: fineartbykendallrobinson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-robinson-1b962420b/
• Other: Tik Tok: fineartbykendallrobinson Email: [email protected]