Jan 25, 2024 - News

Meet the Maker: Jonathan Southern

Justin L. Mack

This photo combination shows artist Jonathan Southern and his portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. — Photos: Courtesy of Jonathan Southern

Welcome to Meet the Maker, a series dedicated to shining a spotlight on local creators of all kinds.

Meet Jonathan Southern, an Indianapolis-based heirloom portrait artist who uses colored and graphite pencils to capture the essence of Black art and culture.

The inspo: Southern, the owner of J. South Art Studio, says his work is inspired by family, music, pop culture and Black history.

"A lot of my inspiration comes from disrupting negative stereotypes in mainstream media regarding Black Americans in history and in music. So a lot of my art is inspired by positive imagery of the Black community," he said.

What he's making now: Southern is one of the many local artists contributing to Indy's Home Court during NBA All-Star weekend.

He is creating a mural for the Indianapolis Artsgarden called "Street Ball" that analyzes the connection between basketball and the streets.

Check him out: On Etsy or Facebook.

Do you know a maker we should meet? Tell us all about them at [email protected].

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Meet the Maker: Jonathan Southern

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