BIO

Jamil Burton is a visual artist and illustration painter, born in 1975 in Newark, New Jersey, and currently resides in Kinston, North Carolina. From an early age, art has has had a special place in Jamil’s heart. His grandmother was a major artistic influence and ignited his passion for creativity. At the age of 10, he started art classes at a local Newark art school. Jamil received formal education in fine art and illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design, St. Paul’s College and Katherine Gibbs School.

Jamil’s art can be described as a combination of traditional and contemporary realism. Inspired by family, community, life, and love, he creates imagery full of boldness and vibrant colors that captures the spirit of culture and the multitude of the black experience. Reminded by the plight of the black community, he uses his art to evoke optimism, emotion, and thought. Jamil is a visual storyteller, who uses a fusion of oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, or charcoal to create masterpieces on canvas, wood and metal.

Jamil specializes in a variety of commissions, including, but not limited to, apparel, book covers, children’s books, murals, and portraits. He works with authors, corporations, galleries, organizations, and schools.

Jamil states, “My art is a collection of stories, a celebration of humanity. I share the black experience that is vivid in color and bold with its truth! Art is love and I depict those feelings and emotions through paintings and illustrations via various mediums. I create because I am passionate about the human experience and freedom of expression. My hope is to provide inspiration and provoke thought and emotion through my art. Art is love and it’s a shared experience, one that I am willing to collaborate with the viewer.”

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