BYRON LINNELL EDWARDS

"I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life." JMB

Artist.Using oil paints, pastels and bold colors I create abstract and figurative art that addresses stigmas, stereotypes and historical narratives. My work explores social and racial dynamics that foster dialogue around cultured experiences. The canvas is my passage to advocacy and resistance.

DUAL STUDY ON RECLAMATION & REVITALIZATION
2025 | Oil & Pastel on Canvas | 40"× 32"
Byron Linnell Edwards

Dual Study on Reclamation & Revitalization
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: Each 40” x 32”
Year: 2025
Artist: Byron Linnell EdwardsWhat began as two paintings turned into a dual study shaped by my research on redlining, gentrification, revitalization, and my questions about reclaiming space.Together these works capture the tension between land, labor, and belonging, posing the question of what it means to live inside a system designed to keep you out.Created as a diptych, these works capture the emotional friction between land, labor, and belonging. From Red to Rich reflects on redlining, redevelopment, and the slow erasure of Black presence through gentrification. Reclamation turns inward. It is a self-portrait reclaiming space, power, and position.Together, they pose a single question: What does it mean to live inside a system that was designed to keep you out? This is not just about survival. It is about taking up space, rightfully.⸻From Red to Rich
2025 | Oil on Canvas | 40” x 32”This work explores the transformation of historically redlined neighborhoods into gentrified spaces where Black residents were once unwelcome, but white capital is now desired.Inspired by the building known today as Pilot Place in downtown Norfolk, Virginia, the piece reinterprets redlining maps, public records, and modern redevelopment.⸻Reclamation (Self-Portrait)
2025 | Oil on Canvas | 40” x 32”A self-portrait painted atop a reimagined African American flag. The work interrogates the politics of presence of wjo gets to inhabit, to belong, and to thrive in spaces historically closed to Black bodies. It is both resistance and return.⸻Both paintings are available for curatorial review, press, and exhibition.

FOR AHMAUD ARBERY
30 in x 24 in
MIXED MEDIA | ACRYLIC AND PAPER ON CANVAS

For Ahmaud Arbery features web news articles about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a runner and former high school football athlete when one morning he went for a jog on Feb. 23, 2020 only to be shot and killed.Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old Black man, was shot and killed outside coastal Brunswick. Three men, all of whom are white, will stand trial for murder and other charges: Travis McMichael, who shot and killed Arbery; his father, Greg McMichael, a former investigator in the local district attorney’s office; and William “Roddie” Bryan, a neighbor.The Ahmaud Arbery murder trial is still set to begin on Oct. 18, 2021.

THE MINSTREL SHOW, 2021
48 in x 36 in
OIL & PASTEL ON CANVAS

The Minstrel Show is a nine piece series created to examine the dichotomy between Black culture and American media. Using figurative and abstract imagery commonly found within coon caricature dating back to mid 1800s, the series explores representation throughout the past 200 years.Sambo, the most popular and decorative descriptor used for Black people throughout the early 1900s, is most recognizable from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” an overseer in the 1852 book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. In 1899, Helen Bannerman illustrated and wrote a children’s book titled “The Story of Little Black Sambo,” which birthed a new genre called Coon caricature. Coon caricature depicted Black people as lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, and ignorant.This nine piece series explores the stereotypes and relationship between American media and the exploration of Black culture using oil pastel on 48in x 38in canvas.The Minstrel Show debuted at Byron L. Edwards’ first solo exhibit on November 4, 2021.

THE BLUES
20 in x 16 in
Oil Pastel on Watercolor Paper
(ORIGINALS - PRIVATE COLLECTION)

Suicides amongst Black Men are rising at increasing rates as a result of the many hardships faced by men of color, now being referred to as the “perfect storm.” 3/4 of suicides are caused by men with the biggest cause of death being suicide for men under 35. A study, published by JAMA Network Open, found that Black male suicide has increased 80%, the largest jump across populations.The increase in suicide has been attributed to young Black men being treated as stronger without being offered space for vulnerability. The lack of Black therapists, specifically Black men, who understand the racial trauma, stressors, and discrimination faced by Black men, has also been attributed to the increased suicides.THE BLUES is a collection of three portraits drawn with oil pastels on watercolor paper exploring silent emotions plaguing Black men — Depression, In Dire Distress, and Despair."When you ain't got no money, you've got the Blues. When you ain't got no money to pay your house rent, you've still got the Blues. A lot of people holler 'I don't like no Blues', but when you ain't got no money, and you can't pay your house rent, and can't buy no food, you damn sure got the Blues!" ~ Howlin' Wolf

Visa Empowerment Card Art Commission
Group Exhibition, Visa, November 2, 2023
Commissioned for 4 original pieces of artwork to live on Visa cards responding to the curatorial theme: “Feeling at home wherever you are.”

The Minstrel Show
Solo Exhibiton
3118 Sunset Blvd, November 4, 2021.

Joy All Day presented by BET Networks
Artist on View
Essence Music Festival / BET Networks, July 3, 2022, Orpheum Theater

BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT SIP & SONDER,
Artist on View
Los Angeles, CA, 2024

Artist Statement

I am an abstract and figurative artist whose work Using bold colors in oil, pastel, and mixed media, I merge personal history with collective memory to challenge stereotypes, reframe stigmas, and examine race, identity, and the cultural narratives that shape how communities see themselves and are seen by others.My work often pull from archival research, lived experience, and public discourse, creating layered works that invite viewers into conversations on equity, belonging, and resilience. Whether on canvas, in fiber, or through public art, I treat each piece as a site for dialogue—an opportunity to both confront history and imagine new possibilities.

About

Byron Linnell Edwards is an abstract and figurative artist whose work confronts stereotypes, stigmas, and historical narratives. Working in bold colors with oil, pastel, and mixed media, he examines social and racial dynamics, creating space for dialogue around identity and cultural experience.Drawing on a 15-year career in entertainment, social impact, and wellness, Edwards infuses his practice with themes of racial equity and inclusion in media and the arts. He is also the founder of Wellness for Creatives™, a holistic initiative supporting artist well-being through mental wellness and physical fitness programs designed to help creatives prevent burnout.

Education
2008 - BA, Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VASelected Exhibitions2024 - Black History Month, Sip and Wonder, Los Angeles, CA (Featured Artist)2024 - The Artist Tree, Artist on View, Los Angeles, CA2023 - In My Mind, ABWB, Los Angeles, CA (Pop-Up Exhibition)2023 - Visa Commission Presentation, Private Viewing, Washington, DC2022 - Joy All Day, Presented by BET Networks, Orpheum Theater, New Orleans, LA2021 - The Minstrel Show, The Pop Up Shop, Los Angeles, CA (Pop-Up Exhibition)2022 - The Blues, Online ExhibitionCollections and Commissions2023 - Visa, Corporate Collection2023 - THIRTY (Narrative Short Film), Featured Artwork - Directed by Oluwatoyin Giwa, Written by Tiffany Campbell; Official Selections: Essence Film Festival, Micheaux Film Festival, Indie Short Fest, Chicago Indie Film Awards2022 - ViacomCBS / BET Networks, Corporate Collection2022 - Showtime (Your Honor), Licensed ArtworkPublic Art & Special Projects
2025 - Ignite Ink, Norfolk, VA (Chrysler Museum)2025 - African American Flag Yarn Bombing, Norfolk, VA (National Yarn Bombing Day Activation)

Highsnobiety: "For Byron Linnell Edwards, Wellness Is Part of the Creative Process"
URL: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/on-byron-linell-edwards-interview/Modern Luxury: "Mind Heart and Soul"
URL: https://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=769066&p=150&view=issueViewerVoyageLA: "Rising Stars: Meet Byron Edwards of Koreatown, Los Angeles"
URL: https://voyagela.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-byron-edwards-of-koreatown-los-angeles/Canvas Rebel: "Meet Byron Edwards"
URL: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-byron-edwards/

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