Akira Gordon

frequently asked questions:

yes! please contact me via my email or contact form to get in touch with me. i can then send you a list of available pieces and their prices!

yes! i don’t have a proper online shop yet though, so send me a DM on instagram and i’ll do my best to send one out to you!

for my paintings, i’ve been using gamblin oil paints, but i like blick paints too!

i enjoy using my underpainting as another tone in the actual painting to work from, so having it be a bright color helps to unify the whole piece!

it depends! feel free to contact me via my email or contact form if you’d like a commission. but keep in mind- i can’t ship large paintings at the moment, so if you aren’t based in philly i won’t be able to send it to you!

my artistic inspirations fluctuate from time to time, but right now i’ve been looking at:

 

kerry james marshall

alice neel

sasha gordon

Ruprecht von Kaufmann
coady brown
moxie saturday
~and alot more!

this passage from my thesis paper should give some insight:

 

  • The initial intent of my thesis work was to give black figures a feeling of respite within a meaningful environment. This directly reflected the state the world was in, as COVID 19 had taken over and protests were happening in many cities across the country. Over time this has evolved into creating a space to freely express both negative and positive emotions. To create
    works that capture the beauty and complexity of black bodies and express a range of feelings and experiences.
  • Inspiration for these spaces can come from a variety of sources in my daily life, including memories that linger in my mind and intense emotions that demand expression. The imagery that manifests from these emotions usually includes some version of myself and a visual interpretation of complicated thoughts. Some form of photography is needed to anchor the images seen in my head into something real. It is easier to set up a camera and mold myself into the pose rather than direct another person. Because of this my work is self-reflective in nature and consists of several self-portraits, although I do not consider most to look exactly like me. Using other faces in my work would feel dishonest, as I am usually speaking from my own personal experiences.”

frequently asked questions:

yes! please contact me via my email or contact form to get in touch with me. i can then send you a list of available pieces and their prices!

yes! i don’t have a proper online shop yet though, so send me a DM on instagram and i’ll do my best to send one out to you!

for my paintings, i’ve been using gamblin oil paints, but i like blick paints too!

i enjoy using my underpainting as another tone in the actual painting to work from, so having it be a bright color helps to unify the whole piece!

it depends! feel free to contact me via my email or contact form if you’d like a commission. but keep in mind- i can’t ship large paintings at the moment, so if you aren’t based in philly i won’t be able to send it to you!

my artistic inspirations fluctuate from time to time, but right now i’ve been looking at:

 

kerry james marshall

alice neel

sasha gordon

Ruprecht von Kaufmann
coady brown
moxie saturday
~and alot more!

this passage from my thesis paper should give some insight:

 

  • The initial intent of my thesis work was to give black figures a feeling of respite within a meaningful environment. This directly reflected the state the world was in, as COVID 19 had taken over and protests were happening in many cities across the country. Over time this has evolved into creating a space to freely express both negative and positive emotions. To create
    works that capture the beauty and complexity of black bodies and express a range of feelings and experiences.
  • Inspiration for these spaces can come from a variety of sources in my daily life, including memories that linger in my mind and intense emotions that demand expression. The imagery that manifests from these emotions usually includes some version of myself and a visual interpretation of complicated thoughts. Some form of photography is needed to anchor the images seen in my head into something real. It is easier to set up a camera and mold myself into the pose rather than direct another person. Because of this my work is self-reflective in nature and consists of several self-portraits, although I do not consider most to look exactly like me. Using other faces in my work would feel dishonest, as I am usually speaking from my own personal experiences.”