David K. Coleman Jr.

My name is David K. Coleman Jr. and I am an illustrator, muralist, fine artist, children's book author, and 2D animator. In my fine art work which is geared towards adults, my focus is on evoking emotion through vibrant color, texture, and bold composition. Art has been a way for me to express myself emotionally in a place where expression hasn't always been encouraged, especially as a black man. Art has been a bridge that has connected me to others who are not like me, which in turn has offered me perspectives that many in my upbringing have not had.

As a children's author, illustrator and publisher, I create simple children's books about complex emotions, introducing fun and digestible ways to identify and express emotions.

In all the work I create, I hope to connect people with their internal selves to better allow them to connect with the external world.

My mother was an artist so I was always exposed to the arts. I went to high school for art but as an adult, I've only taken one art class. My digital work and animation is self taught.

My mother is my first artistic influence. She was the first person who made me think art was cool. As a child, I saw her work and felt intuitively that I could create my own. I would look at her sketches as a child, sketches she created while working her 9-5 as a clerk typist for the city of Philadelphia. She would sketch scenes sitting at her desk, on her lunch break, gazing out of the window. As a child in school, I would often get in trouble for sketching on my test papers, on my notebooks and almost everything became a surface for me to create art on. As an adult, as I began to explore artistry again after a long hiatus, I, similarly to my mother, would spend hours in local parks and on subways sketching scenes from life.

From a young age, I was influenced by comic book art and although I never read comic books, I would browse through them frequently to see the artwork. That is reflected in my current digital illustration style. I am also inspired by Japanese video game artists and 90's pop culture, incorporating this stylistically into my practice. There is a nostalgia that exists for me when I create things that reflect a bygone era. It is a reminder of a time when life, although not bereft of challenges and hardships, felt simpler and more connected due to the lack of technological advancements.

As I dove deeper into my fine art practice, I was also inspired by Matisse and Renoir; specifically their impressionistic style.

Additionally, I live in Philadelphia, known as the city of murals. This city, rich in murals, has shown me how grand art can be and has given me something to aspire to. Most artists I've known who hail from this city, aspire to create a mural in the city, and I am no different.

My illustration work teaches children, especially children from underserved and minority communities, how to identify emotions and build self confidence in a city where they are often surrounded by a lot of violence, trauma and negativity. This work is meaningful work to me as I wish the resources I create now had been readily available to me as a child.

I've self published my children's book under my publishing company Orange Line Lotus and worked hard to have my books added to the Free Library of Philadelphia catalog. There, I've done book readings with the children, engaging them with fun activities that make the dense subjects my books tackle, easier to navigate and move through.

In my fine art work as I mentioned earlier, I aim to evoke emotion through color, texture, and composition. The way this has served my community as well as myself is through the reciprocal energy exchange that happens between artist and observer. I created a piece called "Joy" in 2021 when I was in a dark place mentally. I wanted those who engaged with or saw the work to feel the joy that I could not feel, but desperately desired to. I created what would become one of my most well known pieces and the feedback that I received from it has been that people feel light, happy and joyful when they see it. Watching "Joy" making others happy created a deposit of that energy into my own energetic field. It helped to create a sense of purpose in me that was a powerful force in ushering me out of the darkness I was existing in at the time.

The impact or legacy I would like to leave behind in my art, whether geared towards adults or children, is one of inspiring people to be brave enough to express themselves boldly and encourage others to do the same. I believe when we all have the courage to be who we truly are, the world becomes a brighter, more beautiful and honest place to exist in.