Painting · Figurative
Jamal Carter
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
“Posture tells the truth before a face decides what to say.”
Biography
Jamal Carter paints invented figures whose postures come from observation in rehearsal rooms, transit stations, and neighborhood gathering places. He gives clothing and surrounding architecture the same chromatic weight as the face.
Artist statement
Carter uses the figure to measure emotional space. A turned gaze or joined pair of hands can organize the entire painting without resolving the subject into a narrative.
In the studio
Carter begins with charcoal directly on linen, fixes only selected lines, and develops the painting through broad blue and earth-toned passages. Faces and hands are rebuilt slowly while the room remains open and provisional.
