Charly Palmer coined the phrase “Art should change the temperature in a room.” And for more than 30 years, his art has done just that. In every painting, Palmer bears witness to African ancestry and contemporary experiences—rhythmic, visual stories that shift what each viewer understands. As a fine artist who paints upwards of 50 paintings a year, he has an innate awareness of documenting the intricacies of Blackness with depth, patterns, symbols, and textures. By existing at the intersection of creative expression, the Black experience, and the guidance of his ancestors, Palmer creates, authors, and magnifies the truth and depth of Blackness. From loose sketches and tight lines to blocks of color and nuances of mixed media, his art manifests in visual expressions to the questions, “What came before?” and “What truth must be told?” Palmer was invited by John Legend in 2020 to create a cover portrait for his Grammy Award-winning “Bigger Love” album. He was also commissioned by TIME Magazine to create the cover art and illustrations for its “America Must Change” July 2020 issue, based on his 30 years’ experience painting on the subject of race. Most recently, Palmer has been commissioned by the United States Postal Service to design the signature stamp for Black History Month 2023. Since 2021, Palmer has served as creative director for the Los Angeles Lakers’ In the Paint, a competitive annual art program recognizing LA-based BIPOC artists. He also created the cover of the NBA’s 75th anniversary edition 2K22 video game. Most recently, Palmer’s work has expanded to the metaverse with original NFTs for several TIME Magazine TIME Pieces collections and a Kayvon Thibodeaux NFT Football collectible. Recent solo art shows include Knowhere Art Gallery, Stella Jones Gallery, and Mason Fine Art. Palmer received the National Black Arts Festival Artist of the Year Award in 2021 and was recently featured in Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. He is widely recognized not only as a fine artist but also as an author and illustrator of children’s books, a teacher, and a mentor. In 2021, he designed the cover of “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson. He debuted as an author-illustrator in 2022 with “The Legend of Gravity” and in 2018 received the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustration for “Mama Africa.” As an instructor, he has taught design and illustration and painting at Spelman College. Palmer and his wife, Dr. Karida Brown, recently launched a book titled, “The New Brownies’ Book: A Love Letter to Black Families,” which includes artwork and writings by notable Black artists and is based on W.E.B. Du Bois’, Brownies Chronicles. In addition, newly illustrated children’s book, “Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight.” Lastly, the United States Post Office has commissioned Palmer to create the next stamp commemorating Black History Month 2024. For Palmer, there’s nothing else he could imagine himself ever doing. Born in Fayette, Alabama in 1960 and raised in Milwaukee, he completed studies in Chicago at the American Academy of Art and School of Art Institute. Palmer resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Dr. Karida Brown.