SIR DUKE Painting

Chicago based artist, Khleo Morris, studied Commercial Art at Chicago Vocational Career Academy and earned her Bachelors in Fine Art at Harrington College of Design. She has worked in the fields of interior and event design before stepping back to pursue her true calling in Fine Art. Inspired by the nature of duality, she paints portraits of strong contrast in inverted imagery and bold accents of color to explore the strengths drawn from both good and bad aspects within her subjects. Her art has been selected for the Black Creativity exhibition in Chicago, The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles, and Hairachy exhibition in Detroit and has been featured in Block Club Chicago March 2020 ARTIST STATEMENT My work encapsulates the intricate nature of human existence, where light and darkness coexist. It celebrates duality in all its shades of grey. Our unique life experiences, both good and bad, positions us for our own personal growth. My inspiration was originally found in the negatives of film processing that I found to have a subtle exposure of attributes not quite captured in the developed image. Putting both phases of the image at play captures a wider range of emotion and connects opposing sides of the subject. The aim is to explore the power of duality in the subject and invite the viewer to explore that balance within themselves. This quest may take on many facets. It speaks to our demons, dissects pain behind a smile, and taunts the latent warrior within.