From Nostalgia to Pride: “A Black Thang” Captures the Multifaceted Black Experience Through Stunning Illustrations
Illustrator Donald Powell, a passionate artist from Sacramento, California, presents A Black Thang: The Good, Bad, Ugly, Pride, and Flava of the Black Experience, a visual body of creative work about the Black experience that transcends the boundaries of traditional art unlike ever before.
Born in 1961, Don’s artistic journey began in kindergarten where scribbles of comic book characters would initiate a journey of evolution to the detailed, intricate, and realistic illustrations of “A Black Thang.The turning point of this journey occurred at age 13 while attending an all-white school in Long Beach, California, where he would witness first-hand racial and cultural divides. This enlightening experience of the contrasts and infectious distinctiveness between his race and others sparked intrigue and a transformation in himself and his art. Simple scribbles would grow with him into illustrations documenting what he saw of his Soul Brothers and Sisters.