• Paintings
  • Drawings
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Menu

Justinian Art

Justin Lorenzo Clemons
  • Paintings
  • Drawings
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

"Kerry's Souvenir" 2016

April 24, 2016 in Drawing

I was introduced to Kerry James Marshall in high school and the first paint my instructor showed the class was "Souvenir I" 1997. That painting has ever since engraved in my memory, it could be because of the glitter wings.

"I am overwhelmed by White figure representations every time I go to a museum. It is almost universally understood that these images are the foundation of art in the western world." -Kerry James Marshall
 

Tags: kerry james marshall, souvenir, drawing, graphite, portrait, marker
Comment

"Chano" 2016

April 06, 2016 in Drawing

A verse from Chance’s mixtape, “Acid Rap” has always stuck with me. I think it is one of his best verses, not including his feature on Ultralight Beam. @chancetherapper

[Verse 2]
They murking kids; they murder kids here
Why you think they don’t talk about it? They deserted us here
Where the fuck is Matt Lauer at? Somebody get Katie Couric in here
Probably scared of all the refugees, look like we had a fuckin’ hurricane here
They’ll be shooting whether it’s dark or not, I mean, the days is pretty dark a lot
Down here, it’s easier to find a gun than it is to find a fucking parking spot
No love for the opposition, specifically a cop position
Cause they’ve never been in our position
Getting violations for the nation, correlating, you dry snitchin’

Tags: chance the rapper, chano, drawing, graphite, marker, chicago, acid rap, 2016, social experiment
Comment

Wale Comission 2015

March 31, 2015 in Drawing

Wale Comission 2015

Tags: wale, graphite, marker, portrait, 2014
Comment
Luca and Bella.jpg

"Luca & Bella" 2014

October 11, 2014 in Painting

My half of an art trade with James Jankowiak.

Tags: painting, portrait, doberman, luca, isabella, acrylic, 2014
Comment

"C.H.I.C.A.G.O. Sign Language" 2014

September 08, 2014 in Painting

I started this C.H.I.C.A.G.O. Sign Language concept back when I was 17 years old, the year 2009. I painted it for After School Matters and it was nothing more than a hand study. My instructor, that goes by the name Casper, saw more to it than I did. I don't know his exact words but he went along about the people being deaf to the youth of Chicago in what they care about and about their community they lived in, being positive or negative. I guess I subconsciously manifested the piece. Now, I wanted to update the painting not only because I am a better artist skillfully, but I now understand his words. I lived in a community where the youth didn't have those ears and they still don't have them.

 

Feature in the Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition hosted at the Museum of Science+Industry Chicago 2014

Tags: 18"x36", painting, acrylic, chicago, sign language, hands
Comment

"Mr. Kanye Omari West" 2014

May 20, 2014 in Drawing

“Shoot for the stars, so if you fall you land on a cloud.”

Tags: kanye west, graphite, marker, portrait, 2014
Comment

"McGruder's Newspaper" 2014

May 14, 2014

 “When I pass, speak freely of my shortcomings and my flaws. Learn from them, for I’ll have no ego to injure.”

Tags: aaron mcgruder, graphite, marker, portrait, 2014
Comment

"Flower Takashi" 2014

May 14, 2014 in Drawing

“We want to see the newest things. That is because we want to see the future, even if only momentarily. It is the moment in which, even if we don’t completely understand what we have glimpsed, we are nonetheless touched by it. This is what we have come to call art.”

Tags: takashi murakami, graphite, marker, portrait, 2014
Comment

"Wiley's Stage" 2014

March 02, 2014 in Drawing

“…when you don’t have very much and your life is such that you always have to think on your feet, isn’t it kind of exciting to have an art form that reflects your reality?” A portrait of the portraiture Kehinde Wiley. He is one of my favorite artist and I wanted to give him homage. The way he displays the power of black culture in his painting made me feel a sense of importance as a young high school student 4 years ago when I first saw one of his paintings in a Juxtapoz magazine. 

Tags: kehinde wiley, graphite, marker, portrait, 2014
Comment