For more than 30 years, artist Charly Palmer has been celebrating Blackness and African ancestry through inspired contemporary art.
“My common thread is love, a love of Black people, love of hope and the spirit and the ancestors, telling the story that is rich in truth and debunking all the lies,” said Palmer.
On a recent sunny morning, I joined Palmer in his studio in Atlanta’s West End to discuss his career and what motivates his art. Palmer’s large, paint-splattered workspace was surrounded by his paintings, and a drafting table sat covered in papers and reference photos off to one side. The space displayed various works from Palmer’s long career, plus collectible video game consoles, projects ready to be shipped out, and even an indoor basketball game, which I gather is one of his most prized possessions.
Originally from Fayette, Alabama and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Palmer later studied at the School of Art Institute in Chicago and received a degree from the American Academy of Art. He now calls Atlanta home, and has taught illustration, design, and painting at Spelman College in addition to pursuing his independent artwork career.
Some of Palmer’s earliest public recognition came when he designed the official 1996 Olympic Poster for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Two years later he was tapped to paint the US Olympic Poster for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Primarily working in acrylics, but is not shy about dabbling in alternative media such as spray paint. Palmer has an expansive view of art and his capability to create something new. He posesses an undying passion for celebrating the Black experience through his paintings. Palmer has extensively exhibited his works in galleries across the city, with a CV that includes exhibitions in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, New Orleans, and more.
Palmer has also had works accepted into the private and public collections of JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, Atlanta Life Insurance, McDonald’s Corporation, Miller Brewing Company, the Coca-Cola Company and Vanderbilt University, just to name a few. In 2016, he designed artwork to celebrate Fisk University’s 150th anniversary, and the following year he did the same for Howard University.
In 2020, Palmer illustrated the cover of John Legend’s Grammy Award-winning studio album “Bigger Love,” and later that same year he was asked to design the July 2020 cover for TIME Magazine’s “America Must Change” issue. Last year, in 2024, Palmer designed an official USPS stamp commemorating Constance Baker Motley who was not only the first Black woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court, but also the first Black woman to become a federal judge.
Today, Palmer lives in Atlanta and is happily married to the love of his life, Karida Brown. Brown is an accomplished NAACP Award-winning author, oral historian, and Professor of Sociology at Emory University. The two often collaborate on projects, and both share an affinity for history, research, and a deep and lasting love for the Black community.
“She would be embarrassed to hear me say this, but she is very much a teacher of mine,” said Palmer warmly, as he slid a flyer for her upcoming book “The Battle for The Black Mind” across the table to me.
In 2023, the two co-authored “The New Brownies’ Book: A Love Letter to Black Families,” a reimagining of the beloved Brownies’ Book that W.E.B. Du Bois first published in 1920. The original publication was the first ever to include art, stories, letters, children’s activities, and prompts for African American youth to celebrate their histories and identities.
“The New Brownies’ Book” was published in 2023, and features more than fifty contemporary Black artists and writers who contributed essays, poems, photographs, paintings, and short stories centered around the Black experience. Intending to inspire intergenerational connections through the power of literature, the book has since won the Boston Globe Special Citation Award which has been awarded 7 times in its 100 years of existence.
Throughout his career and all of his many achievements, Palmer has remained committed to championing a love of art through mentorships and connections with fellow artists. He also enjoys inspiring the next generation through children’s books.
“I kind of look at how I can be of service to young artists in particular,” said Palmer. “When I do group presentations I say ‘find something you love doing and you’ll never work a day in your life.’”
Palmer makes a point to say that while doing what you love and getting paid for it is a blessing, he doesn’t want to imply that it’s some kind of a joy ride; it’s still hard work, and in order to get ahead you have to be passionate enough to pursue it despite the inevitable hardships.
“It has to be passion,” Palmer continued. “It has to be something that drives you more than money. If your source of motivation is money, in the end you will be heartbroken. You’ll discover that money is not all that you think it is. When you’re doing something that’s meaningful, that’s what matters.”
Though his works often grapple with difficult concepts such as violence, slavery, and hate crimes, Palmer makes an effort to stay focused on the good. He told me that when he’s upset, angry, hurt, or sad, he tends to shut down and he finds it difficult to create new art.
“I think that’s where these children’s books come into play for me – to create something for joy, create hope, and do something,” mused Palmer.
And so, he limits his exposure to the news and focuses instead on his current canvas, always listening to the spirit of his ancestors when they call him to make something new. “It’s about being obedient to the wishes of the ancestors,” he explained. Palmer makes an effort to answer the call when he’s pulled to create something by that ancestral feeling.
“When they say ‘now,’ they mean now. I’ve made the mistake of waiting, but when I go back to do it it’s like the feeling isn’t there anymore.”
During the course of our interview I learned that the solid color blocks that often appear in his works actually represent the ancestors that inspire him and challenge him to do more – and better – every day. Sometimes he wakes up feeling a push to create something specific, which he attributes to the ancestors.
Always aiming to make works that are “fresh and authentic,” Palmer says that tapping into hope is important but also difficult at times. “I’ve always advocated for therapy, especially for men, because there’s so much we hold inside.”
One of the most impactful events that has influenced the works Palmer creates is when his mother passed away in 2008. “She was my hero – she was my reason for doing what I do. I think that I wanted to show her that my existence wasn’t a waste. Her pride and accomplishments, even to this day, even though she’s been gone for 18 years, it’s kind of like ‘mama, look what I’ve done!’” After her passing, Palmer started adding flowers to many of his works in remembrance of her.
Prior to her passing, Palmer was in a period of intense activity, always producing art. In the aftermath of her loss he hit a wall and realized there was no longer any spirit or life in the paintings he created. He was making art, but he was relying mainly on muscle memory instead of fresh inspiration.
It took nearly a year for him to shake that feeling. When he made a piece depicting a little boy holding a huge bouquet of flowers titled “Not Enough Flowers,” he realized that he could make new flowers on every piece for the rest of his life but it would never be enough to express his gratitude and appreciation for his mother. At that moment, he knew he was ready to move on.
“If things make you feel safe, you have to push yourself more,” he explained. It’s a motto he applies to anyone who he mentors. “I was being a hypocrite.” As a result, he decided to intentionally stop painting James Baldwin or flowers starting at the end of 2023. And he achieved that goal; he went the whole year without depicting either image in his works.
In 2018, Palmer received the coveted Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe Illustrator Award for his illustrations in the book “Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song,” which was written by Kathryn Erskine. Other notable recognitions include the 2021 Fine Art + Fashion Visual Artist Award he received from the National Black Arts Festival. His album design for John Legend’s “Bigger Love” won a Grammy for the Best R&B Album Cover in 2021.
Despite all of his fame and notoriety, Palmer continues to be convivial, friendly, and welcoming. Love is right on the surface of everything he does, and he takes great strides to maintain a perspective of hope despite any current struggles or challenges he might face.
I asked Palmer if he had some advice for the next generation, or perhaps a message he wishes he could send to his younger self.
“Go back to your roots,” he told me. “Go back to the ground. Speak to your ancestors and be open. Know your fear and do it anyway. There are times you’ll be afraid, there are times you’ll meet resistance, but if you believe in it, stay true to it.”
Next up for Palmer is an opportunity to curate the first year of exhibitions at “The Retreat” on Howell Mill Road. The venue is an expansion of private members-only modern city club The Gathering Spot, a private members-only modern city club, and will officially open on Memorial Day weekend.