Black Artist Bios / Larry Poncho Brown
"Larry Poncho Brown is as textured, vibrant and rich as the culture his art represents"
Larry "Poncho" Brown, one of several artists on the forfront in contemporary African American art, was born in Baltimore, MD. He became self-employed at the age of 17 as a signwriter and he and his carreer as an artist has never looked back since.
Poncho received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. His commercial and Fine art has been published nationally in ;publications like Upscale, Ebony, Ebony Man, Essence, and Jet magazines. His art was first exhibited in the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series No. 2 book entitled "Wrapped In Pride".
You may recognize his most famous work "Black is Black" and works from "Egyptian Queens" as being part of the set of former hit TV show "A Different World." "Sidesteppin" was featured on the HBO mini series "Laurel Avenue", and "One Love" has been featured on "In The House". Many celebrities collect his work, they include Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Anita Baker, Susan Taylor, and Bernard Bronner just to name a few.
Larry believes art should be used to give back to the community. He is the founder of "The African American Youth Art Exhibition" which recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary, and co-founder of Artistic Legacy, a not for profit organization that sponsors art workshops for youth.
His African Amerian art works share common features of rhythm, movement, and unity. Larry Poncho Brown uses various medium to form his Afrocentric creations. His gift of employing different styles to express his interests in Afrocentric themes, Ancient Egyptology and dance is what makes him one of the most unique and interesting Black artists around.
Poncho's essence stems from a contrast of modern and ancient style elements which help to create a sense of realism, mysticism, and beauty, something he's proved appeals to Black art lovers all over the globe. He clearly illustrates his personal values with his art. The pillar themes of his creations, spirituality, love, unity and community are obvious reflections of who Larry Poncho Brown is.