Curtis Grayson
Biography:
Curtis Grayson, III discovered his passion for art at an early age. From his first drawings as a child to being inspired by the artwork featured on the television sitcom Good Times—later learning those works were from the collection of Ernie Barnes—Grayson developed a deep admiration for expressive, culturally rooted art. Determined to pursue his calling.
A pivotal moment in his artistic evolution came through his encounter with renowned collagist Benny Andrews, who introduced him to the dynamic incorporation of fabric within his work—an element that has since become a distinctive feature in his mixed-media practice.
Grayson works in oils, acrylics, watercolor, collage, and mixed media. His bold and vibrant color palette conveys movement, strength, and emotional depth. His paintings are characterized by powerful composition and expressive storytelling. Among his most celebrated bodies of work is the “Revelations Series,” inspired by Alvin Ailey’s iconic dance production. One piece from the series, “Dance of August,” was featured in HBO’s adaptation of Terri McMillan’s Disappearing Acts (2000), starring Sanaa Lathan and Wesley Snipes. His artwork was also commissioned for the McDonald’s “365 Black History” campaign honoring Black media legends and was featured in the film The Best Man Holiday (2013), directed by Malcolm D. Lee.
In 1995, Grayson founded Cemetic Expressions, which later evolved into Curtis Grayson Fine Art. The company was established to publish and distribute his work while promoting cultural awareness and positive representation through visual art. His practice centers on documenting lived experiences and preserving cultural narratives through a contemporary lens. Grayson’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and private collections. In addition to his studio practice, he is active in community and professional organizations and continues to expand his artistic research as he works toward his MFA.
Education:
- A. Studio Arts, William Paterson University 2014
- A. African, African- American and Caribbean Studies William Paterson College 1993
National Honor Society Alumni Awardee
Art Educator currently over 25 years
Awards/ Grants/ Fellowships
2025 Sustain & Thrive Program grant recipient
2021 Beygood/ NAACP grant recipient
2017 Prudential Center Mural project of parking lot booth designs Newark, NJ
2017 Plainfield electric box mural designs Plainfield, NJ
2017 Newark Mural Projects sponsored by Yendor Arts Newark, NJ
2015 1st place award in Painting best category Manayunk Art Festival, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
2013 Universal Studios: Director Malcolm D. Lee. 7 paintings were featured in “BEST MAN HOLIDAY” film
2013 2ND Place painting category: William Paterson University group show
2000 HBO’s Feature Films Production Writer, Producer Terrie McMillan “artwork was featured in film “Disappearing Acts”
1997 First Place Painting award, Plainfield Art Festival NJ
Exhibitions & Art Fairs:
2026 Makowski Gallery New York Art Expo 2026
2026 Makowski Gallery “The Shape of Seeing” Chelsea New York
2026 Caribbean Art Fair, Bridgetown, Barbados
2025 Black Art Matters Brooklyn, New York
2025 Arte Noir “Black Diaspora, Seattle, Washington
2025 Black Boy Art Show Brooklyn, New York
2025 Pierro Gallery, “Black Art Unveiled” South Orange, NJ
2025 Studio Montclair “black Resilience & Strength” Group Show Montclair, NJ
2024 Marlow Art Gallery “Black Women Is God” exhibition, San Francisco, California
2024 De Casa De Africa , 40th Annual African /Cuban Biennial Havana, Cuba Nov. 15 – Feb 15, 2025
2024 Femme Curator Newark Arts Open Door, Newark New Jersey
2024 Moody Jones Art Gallery, Pennsylvania
2024 Harlem Fine Art Fair, New York
2024 “Afro-futurism 100 Years after the Harlem Renaissance at Paper mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ
2024 Print Black & White Imprint group exhibition Montclair Studio, Montclair NJ
2023 Morris Museum affiliate Smithsonian “Each One Teach One” mentor /mentee exhibition Morristown, NJ
2023 Scott H. Kaplan Art Gallery, Bloomfield College, “Expressions of Our Blackness” Bloomfield, NJ
2023 Art in the Atrium MAYO Morristown Arts Center, Morristown, NJ
2023 Montclair Studio “Rhythm & Blues” Montclair, NJ
2022 Highland Park Art Center Chicago, IL
2022 Manifest Juried Art Festival
2022 Hamptons Fine Art Fair represented with Ross Contemporary Chicago, Hampton NY
2018 WBGO Jazz Radio Exhibit Newark, NJ
2018 “Who We Are” Columbia High School Faculty Art teachers show Maplewood, NJ
2014 Circle of Sisters, Javitz Center New York
2014 Harlem Fine Art Show, Riverside Church, NY
2004 Art Scape Art Festival, Baltimore, Maryland
2008 & 2006 Capitol Jazz Festival, Baltimore, Maryland
2012 African American Festival, PNC Arts Center, NJ
Philadelphia Art Expo (October Gallery)
Denver Black Art Expo, Denver, Colorado
Black Memorabilia Boston, Mass.
Plainfield Art Festival, Plainfield, NJ
African American Art Show, Morristown, NJ
Kraft/Nabisco African American Art Show Roseland, NJ
Essex County College
2008 WBGO 88.3 Jazz Gallery
2007 Iandor Fine Art Gallery, Newark, NJ
2007 Art from Africa Gallery, Teaneck, NJ
2007 Newark Museum, Newark, NJ
2006 Afram Festival, Norfolk, Virginia
Astah’s Art Gallery, Maplewood, NJ
Washington Square Part Art Festival, New York, NY
2013 Ben Shaun Gallery, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ (Group Show)
1993 William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ (Solo)
Brooklyn Promenade Art Festival, Brooklyn NY (Group Art Festival)
2013, 2011, 2010 International African Art Festival, Brooklyn NY (Group Art Festival)
2008 Ellen Ashley Gallery, Newark, NJ (Group Show)
2005 Serengeti Plains Art Gallery, Montclair, NJ (Solo)
Halsey Street Art Gallery, Newark, NJ (Solo)
City Without Walls Art Gallery, Newark, NJ (Small works Group Show)
St. Mathews Art Gallery, Newark, NJ (Group Show)
Statement:
“I am a multidisciplinary visual artist working primarily in contemporary abstract expressionism. My work is driven by bold, brilliant, and vibrant color palettes that establish atmosphere and reveal my passion. Through expressive line, movement, rhythm, and flow, I construct a complex visual language that reflects both emotional depth and cultural consciousness.
I work across a variety of materials including oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, and mixed media. Fabric plays a significant role in my compositions, particularly African textiles, stripes, polka dots, and patterned materials that create rhythm and movement within the surface. These elements allow me to manipulate positive and negative space while building texture and organic form. My paintings are developed intuitively—there is no preliminary sketch or rigid plan. Each work evolves organically, guided by energy, instinct, and spiritual alignment. I only create when my mind and heart are at peace, allowing positive energy to flow naturally into the canvas.
I am deeply committed to creating bodies of work as cohesive series. One example is my interpretation of cultural icons through a contemporary lens. In my portrait of James Baldwin, I imagined how he might appear in 2026—confident, intellectually sharp, and stylish in an alligator-print leather coat and Burberry scarf, twirling his glasses as he prepared a witty and incisive response. This piece reflects both reverence for his legacy and my creative reimagining of his continued relevance.
“Birth of a Cool,” inspired by Miles Davis, emerged from a vivid moment I witnessed in East Orange. A group of teenagers on bicycles took over a two-lane road on a hot summer day, performing extended wheelies and daring tricks while traffic paused in awe. The scene transported me back to my childhood and embodied pure style, grace, confidence, and freedom. The painting captures that spontaneous brilliance and unapologetic presence.
“Heartbeat and the Pulse of Cuba” was selected for the 2025 African Cuban Biennial, where I was honored to be one of 25 U.S. artists invited to exhibit at the Casa de África Museum in Havana. The work depicts Arturo Sandoval playing his trumpet, a woman with a Cohiba cigar, and drummers immersed in rhythm—symbols of Cuba’s vibrant musical and cultural heartbeat. Though I had never visited the island prior to the exhibition, Cuban viewers expressed astonishment at how authentically I captured its essence. The original painting is now in a permanent museum collection, with limited edition giclée prints continuing to be exhibited.
Across all of my work, I strive to record time, culture, and lived experience through expressive abstraction. My paintings are built on continuous movement and emotional resonance, inviting viewers not only to observe but to feel. Texture, color, and rhythm compel engagement, creating an immersive dialogue between the artwork and the audience.
Art, for me, is energy made visible”.
