An introduction into my panther series
My way of celebrating black history month year-round
Happy Black history month! I have never told my subscribers about my panther series before, and this is a perfect to do so.
I started this art series back in 2020 during lockdown and the BLM movement. I was raised on music about activism by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, The O’Jays, and others. Seeing so many of my people struggle during the lock down (in addition to black-on-black crime), I felt powerless to help anyone. We NEEDED something inspiring and fun to look forward to.
But why panthers and not drawings of black people? For one, drawings of people is already done so often and I like to stand out! secondly the panther has been a symbol for the black community dating back to the 1960’s.
This is when I illustrated the first piece in the series, My people.
My People is inspired by the poem of the same name, by author Langston Hughs. I enjoyed creating this so much, that I decided to make an ongoing series out of it!Every Panther series illustration is based off/inspired by a work of art created by black people, or simply showing black joy.
You can explore more about my Panther series on my art blog and YouTube channel.
Love this series, thank you for sharing!