Floyd Strickland is a multi-disciplined artist from Los Angeles, CA. Strickland’s works are a reflective critique of aspects of American culture, through the lens of black and brown children. Drawing inspiration from his childhood environment, Strickland often juxtaposes realistic figures with aspects of American cultural figures, creating ethereal figurative paintings.

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Strickland garners inspiration from Kerry James Marshall, famed Birmingham-born, Chicago-based contemporary artist exhibiting works since 1981, and his all-time favorite artist Aaron Douglas, the most prominent Harlem Renaissance artist-illustrator dubbed the “father of African-American art,” highly active in the 1920s.

The unconventional path that brought Strickland to the art world contributes to the uniqueness of his work. After building and renovating elementary schools throughout the country, Strickland noticed the lack of confidence in many black and brown children, which he struggled with as a child. To combat this, Strickland began painting large-scale figurative oil paintings depicting the beauty, strength, and potential of these children.

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Strickland’s children are often the focal points of his pieces, expressing that his best works feature them because that immense care and emotional attachment for them comes through. He wants his children to see themselves as larger-than-life figures and hopefully understand how much he loves them.

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