The black women art I create stands on foundations built by women who weren't supposed to be artists at all.
When I learned about Edmonia Lewis, the first professional Black female sculptor from the 1860s, something clicked for me. She carved marble in a time when Black women weren't even considered fully human. Now I hold a digital stylus, continuing what she started.
Carrying History Forward
Every portrait in my Royalty Series connects to this incredible lineage. I think about Harriet Powers, who stitched Bible stories into quilts while enslaved. She turned necessity into art, rebellion into beauty.
My Black Women Empowerment Art follows that same spirit. I use digital light instead of thread, screens instead of fabric. But I'm doing what she did—making sure our stories get told beautifully.
Those 400 hours I spent on this series? They honor every hour Black women artists worked without recognition, without gallery shows, without anyone knowing their names.
Beauty That Corrects History
Meta Warrick Fuller created "Ethiopia Awakening" back in 1914. It showed a Black woman emerging from bindings, freeing herself. She was painting liberation before we even had the right words for it.
My Black art painting builds on what she started. I paint Black women who are already free, already powerful, already divine. The stars surrounding my subjects come from studying Augusta Savage's work from the 1920s. She knew we belonged among celestial bodies, and I'm just making that literal in my work.
Why Representation Still Matters
Elizabeth Catlett had to leave the country because her art was considered "too political." Can you imagine? Just painting Black people truthfully was dangerous.
When Alma Woodsey Thomas finally got her Whitney exhibition in 1972, she was 80 years old. It took eight decades for a major museum to recognize her brilliance. That's why my digital Black culture art doesn't wait for permission. I create it, share it, and it reaches people immediately.
Continuing the Conversation
Today, we have artists like Amy Sherald painting Black women into spaces we've always deserved. Kara Walker making America confront its shadows. My pro Black art adds to this conversation with stars and celebration.
What excites me most is that we're not asking for space anymore. We're creating, showing, selling, and thriving. My Black artwork uses digital tools to reach people galleries never would. A Black woman anywhere can see herself reflected as royalty.
Commission a portrait that places you in this powerful artistic lineage. Let me paint your beauty as part of this historical continuation. Starting at $2,000.
Your Portrait Artist: Kenal Louis
My custom portrait commissions start at $2,000 for a 12" x 12" piece and $3,000 for a 20" x 20" artwork.
Want to commission a one-of-a-kind portrait artwork for yourself or a loved one?
Let's create something extraordinary together.
Tags: black women, black women art, black women empowerment art, black art painting, black artwork, black culture art, black female artwork, pro black art, contemporary art, black artist, black art artist, black visual artists