Artist Statement

Who is Kinna LeBlanc?

A busy and bold yet whimsically warm and colorful world, that's the story!

I’m a visionary who majorly focuses on pop-art, graphic- style illustrations and feminine content. I covet a range of artistic abilities, using various Mediums to produce art, however I've settled on digital illustrations and Acrylic paints to acknowledge the experiences of growing up as an immigrant child who always knew she was pretty fabulous. I enjoy re-creating beautiful things, and most of the ingredients of a hustling early life -  growing up in NYC during a time of the bustling hip-hop movement, a notable fashion scene and a technology boom - adds a flare to each of my pieces by using loud elements like bright colors, women, social issues, trends, texture and typography to tell the story. The many layers of the black female experience and the feminine form is also used a lot as a tool to tell my story. It's all I know how to be – and I prefer taking direct reference from my own life and the lives of the vivacious young women of color I'm drawn to. 

It’s easier explaining your own existence before someone else’s. Yes, we all get inspired by another’s story. But I’m just not inclined to telling theirs all the time. Maybe one day.

Style installations and colorful pop-culture digital content has been the front runner of my aesthetic for many years and many facets contribute to a project for me. But it's my personal experiences in the fashion and entertainment industries, providing operational logistics, that gave me a wide range of artistic and entertainment skills that I choose to make relevant in my portfolio today. And also pushed me to make beautiful things—exciting, sassy and provocative.

The work I produce today still hones elements of style and pop culture, but there’s more depth and purpose there. I’m in my 30’s so there’s been some real-world experiences added to the never-ending story.

It’s inspiring.

People like it. I like it. I like to inspire people and I am always looking for inspiration.

We know that arts and Entertainment go hand-in-hand but I try not to let the latter rule the former because, like most Artist, my divine feminine energy can empathetically hold on to the negatives of society. And what I want for my art can't be produced in darkness.

One of the things I take pride in is the length of time I can take to create a digital piece--- it’s long—but it’s my ability to add the smallest detail, to that sassy or exciting piece and  after a 20+ years as a creative-being, I may have recently figured it out: In 2016 I decided to streamline my “Kinna LeBlanc Creative” brand, by changing my title from “Graphic Designer” to “Modern Artist: Digital Illustrator”. I waved good-bye to style projects and exhibited at collective art shows. I became familiar with local Gallerist and black Curators from Brooklyn, entered the world of curating and Arts marketing, opened an online store and started a mailing list to share announcements of new projects.

Yes, I continue to be an inspiring visionary splitting my time between creating, educating and frolicking throughout the buzzing streets of Brooklyn, New York.

- Kinna LeBlanc