This Artist Paints Portraits Of Strong African-American Women

Tim Okamura is a 51-year-old artist who draws portraits of African-American women representing them in a strong pose. Being half Japanese, the Brooklyn-based artist was much integrated into a large culturally diverse group since he was a little boy.

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“That part of my work I didn’t intend to be conceptual, but it has challenged people’s ideas of who can represent who through art,” the artist told in an interview for Nailed. “People can quickly sense if an artwork is from a place of authenticity or not – my messages are positive and so are my representations and this is a celebration of my community.”

While creating his work, he “investigates identity, the urban environment, and contemporary iconography through a unique method of painting—one that combines an essentially academic approach to the figure with collage, spray paint and mixed media.”