Réna King Portraits of Women of Color

These four paintings below are portraits of women of color that I have created because I believe that it’s important to uplift women in the fine arts world. Historically, women of color have not been abundantly represented. This focus on black bodies and our stories has been important work to me as people of color are not often the subject of fine art portraits. I still focus on black bodies but in a more literal sense, painting organic and abstract patterns around the body; directly placing them in beautiful settings.

I am redefining what it means to be black in a contemporary art space and I want to encourage viewers to think about unseen black narratives. Right now I am looking for two more volunteers for my “W.O.C ~ Women of Color” series. As I mentioned in the article, this  series is dedicated to women of color. It’s a take on the “Woman of Color” acronyms and my spin on bringing out the beauty, sexiness and confidence that women of color behold.