Tempestt Kirby

Since I was a child, I have always been an observer. Fascinated by how people react to the same situation in completely different ways. I understood, at a very early age, that if you have never seen anything different from your circumstances, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to see life any differently.

My work explores the relationship between race, class, and female identity. I draw from inspirations like Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Catlett, who, through their artwork and life, expressed the complex psyche of a woman born in a male dominated society.

It is my hope to create art that changes the narrative and puts people who look like me in roles that show our bravery, our pain, our resilience, and our humanity.

I am a self taught artist who was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. My nomadic upbringing put me in the position to interact with many different types of people and personalities as I grew up. After attending college for business management, and working several 9-5 jobs, I found myself unfulfilled with what my life had become. Unsure of my next move, I was gifted with some paint and canvases from my sister who had taken an art class but was no longer in need of the supplies. I painted my first acrylic painting in 2 days and felt truly fulfilled doing so. Although I have always sketched different items (mostly clothes), nothing compared to the feeling I felt completing a painting from a blank canvas. Although it has been a long and unsure road I have travelled, I finally feel that I am right where I'm supposed to be.