Keon Courtney is a self-taught portrait artist born and raised in Edmonton, AB. He has always had a passion for art but did not start drawing until his late twenties. His passion for portraiture has always been on the forefront of his art journey. He started out as mainly a digital artist but has branched out trying several different mediums; most recently focusing on portraits in charcoal. Keon finds his inspiration in the process of attempting to bring life and soul to his artwork.
As a first-generation Canadian, Keon Courtney was born and raised in Edmonton in the mid-90s in a time he describes as the “best era of pop culture and music,” and his body of work is testament to this fact. The artworks titled Strategic and Loyal are part of a series where the artist’s inspiration is propelled by the model’s response to the question: “What is one word you or others would use to describe you?” Courtney’s intent is to frame conversations of self-realization juxtaposed with the perspective of others.
