Reggie LeFlore

4 weeks and two days after the death of George Floyd and I'm finally starting to get my focus back. Thanks for waiting y'all. I'll be back to my 100% self here soon. #RAL86 (at State Theatre (Minneapolis, Minnesota)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB1-m4cBdcl/?igshid=192v7a8byrdec

Speaking with collaborator and friend Robyne from @fivexfivepublicartconsultants, along with a few others, about something incredibly important. The past 3 weeks here in Minneapolis have been a nightmare - both in the sense of trying to process the events surrounding George Floyd's murder, while also observing how a lot of the Twin Cities based creatives and businesses are using their talents and resources in response to the protests and riots that happened. I don't have much of any thoughts planned, apart from just speaking what's in my mind, but I'm hoping you'll join me anyway. Tomorrow from 6-8 CST (Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TzKMQovoQDeuLaLibO9-ow?mc_cid=94c364bcc5&mc_eid=e953442db8&mc_cid=fba0937cbb&mc_eid=e953442db8) #RAL86 (at Minneapolis, Minnesota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBigaU0hcK1/?igshid=1rmtuy7i3t2dj

Fun fact: I'm a little bit of a writer/story teller. And for various reasons, I've been all sorts of shy, timid, and distracted from doing more with it than I should be. But what better time to start putting out my thoughts about the world than right now? For years I've been stockpiling a series of my original short stories and graphic novel ideas that pair with my personal paintings and illustrations - most of which involved me writing about my experiences with the creative process, the arts industry, and in this case, the soul and spirit in relation to the universe and its human made deities. The Overseer is one of these projects, and it's been developing with me and my other writings since the early 2000's. Fast forward to today, and I'm nearly there with acquiring all the neccessary things to communicate this story to everyone. I don't have all the words quite down just yet, but given how rough things are in the world (pandemic or otherwise)...well let's just say that I've been inspired to put out more of my true and authentic self now. Stick around and you'll see what I mean. Peace y'all. #RAL86 (at Minneapolis, Minnesota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAnHCL0HNZw/?igshid=1bodpc40z6tpy

My livestream this past Sunday was a success! Incredibly thankful for my folks over at @mplsart 🐐 for this opportunity to preview my latest lil passion project 💫 I'll be spending the next couple weeks piecing this portrait together, along with sharing some background behind this short story and collaboration with @_katieraine_ and @sckyrei just in case you missed it. In the meanwhile, give @mplsart a follow for more info on their upcoming livestreams and Twin Cities art happenings. Much love y'all 😊 #OVERSEER #mplsart #jitsi #art #spraypaint #aerosol #AhShitImUsingHashtagsAgain #stencil #wip #mpls #stpaul #omaha #collaboration #PoB #k80raine #sckyrei #RAL86 https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYJbpIHLM7/?igshid=jwqxuop6yx11

New project incoming! I'll be testing out my latest live streaming session with the @mplsart folks this Sunday at noon CST (https://www.mplsart.com/z/ral86/room). Hoping to make this a regular thing, so stop through during my hour set and say hey! #mplsart #livestream #RAL86 https://www.instagram.com/p/CALWdz_nMAR/?igshid=18x4cf0ogf8bq

Hey folks. Just throwing a quick post up to say that I'm still alive and in good health, all things considered. Gonna skip out on posting all the mopey stuff and bring you some info on a lil passion project that's been eating up all my recent time. Details coming soon. Like tomorrow soon, I think. Stay safe y'all 😷 #RAL86 (at Minneapolis, Minnesota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAD7ptZnzYP/?igshid=1ahc6spryggb4

@bosleycreative you are hella cool for these. Thanks for taking the time to connect with me during my Omaha visits, and for getting me to laugh and be silly in front of the lens. Fingers crossed that we get to collaborate on something cool this 2020 😊😊😊 #RAL86 (at North Omaha, Nebraska) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9PNV-6hjTh/?igshid=117vacs347en2

Incoming sappy post - This past Sunday, the @oeaawards honored me with an Outstanding Public Art award for my "The Ancestor, The Identity, and The Seed" mural. The gratitude I have for this honor is beyond words, especially considering all the love and support I received from my colleagues, collaborators, supporters, friends and family members during this project. @theunionomaha @brigitte.j.mcqueen - thank you for trusting me with telling a story that highlights just a small piece of our Black and African American culture that exists within North Omaha. If there's any second guessing on whether or not I'm doing the right things within my work, thinking of you and your efforts will definitely help dispel that. @uniteusone @paige_serra_reitz thank you both for your wisdom and knowledge, and for helping me navigate through all my doubts and challenges through this project. Way too many great things to say about you both that'll fit in this post (especially you, Barber! Omaha is extremely lucky to have you). Thank you Yvonne and Don McPherson at Styles of Evolution for being some of the nicest folks ever during this project, and for continuing to be community members through all the crazy changes happening in the north 24th Street area. @quilterpreneur @lpunplugged and Thailea, it was such an incredible honor to have you all featured on this mural - especially in relation to its message that deserves to be heard everywhere. @good.cool.mud big thanks for taking the necessary photos for this project and for making this concept easy for me to put together! Also big thanks to Joey, Kat, Megan, Jacqueline, the 2018 Union Fellows (and the rest of the Union staff), and to everyone who came down to bring me snacks! Much love y'all. Incredibly humbled to receive this award ♥️ Til next time. #RAL86 (at Styles of Evolution) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8zwJrrhWTt/?igshid=h1hrfk9dc9mu

Intro part 4 - I use stencils, spray paint, paint markers, graphic design and freehand drawing techniques to create most of the work you see here. But back in my early spray painting days, you probably saw that I called myself a stencilist or a graphic designer, as those were the primary tools I used to make my pieces. But right now, if you were to define me as anything, visual artist is good enough for me. I started calling myself that because the other terms that ppl often called me weren't always accurate - especially with the "graffiti artist" label, as I'm not actively out in the streets tagging on trains/buildings or doing actual graffiti. The influence of these cultures are definitely there tho, and I try to do my best to honor and respect them within my works. Okay y'all, I'm running out of stuff to talk about! Lemme know if there's anything you care to hear in the next post, or through my IG stories. And go to my website! www.ral86.com 😊 #RAL86 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8hVrdJhwKP/?igshid=tfpmk0rphdif

Intro part 3 - After fooling around with spray paints and stencils for a few years, I decided that it was time for me to jump into the realm of murals and public art. Much like with the cartoons and comics I grew up with, I was left inspired and influenced by all these different large scale art styles, each with their own distinctive differences that highlighted various cultures and social backgrounds. And after having a bunch of talks with my fellow Benson High School alumni and art bro @gerardpefung (yep I still talk about you. Also lemme know if I used alumni right in this sentence), I ended up building enough courage and confidence within myself to start making murals on my own. During this time and beyond, I've encountered a ton of challenges and unique experiences - from finding techniques that work best within my style, to later learning about the long lasting effects of murals within certain communities, and everything in between. Anyway, I'm rambling again so I'm gonna take another break. In the meanwhile, take a look at a few of my older murals and public projects. And if you'd like to see more, then go visit my website! www.ral86.com #RAL86 https://www.instagram.com/p/B8e0AURhVtk/?igshid=1f8dtfgb6qntp

Intro part 2 - Since 2012 I've been working with spray paints to make my portrait work, but when I was much younger I wanted to make comic books and cartoons. I spent most of my youth teaching myself a bunch of drawing and graphic design techniques, and used a few of them to create my own novels and short stories that mirrored the stuff I read and watched. I even tried pursuing school to become an animator, but that path was short lived since I was beyond broke. Soon after, I was introduced to the more accessible cultures of street art and urban art, and saw that my skill set easily translated to mediums that existed outside of the computer screen - spray paints, stencils, and paint markers, which were all brought together by graphic design and my skills as an illustrator. Portraits became a natural thing to do after all this, which afforded me opportunities to work with other artists, make a little money, learn more about these street art mediums, etc. Anyway, this post is getting too long so I'm gonna stop for now. In the meanwhile, visit www.ral86.com to catch some of my more recent works 😊 #RAL86 (at St.Paul/ Minneapolis) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8cM_CchWRp/?igshid=v7ypniaacw4z

Sup folks. Been taking a few steps back from social media for various reasons, and decided that with all these new followers/connections/experiences, it's time for me to re-introduce myself. So here it goes! My name is Reggie LeFlore, and I'm a freelance visual artist who paints draws and sketches from a wealth of influences - many of which highlight the cultures of street art/urban art and illustration. I'm originally from Omaha Nebraska, a place where all of my arts experiences and understandings originated from. But for the past 4 years I've been living in Minneapolis Minnesota, a place that's helped refine and structure that work. I do this stuff for a living, so you'll most likely catch me posting a mix of commissioned works and personal projects here, but from this point onwards you'll be seeing more of the latter (I'll still post commissions/work in progress stuff on my Instagram Stories though, so keep tabs on that if you can). Anyway, that's it for now. More things about me to come soon, but in the meanwhile, take a peak at my About section on my website (www.ral86.com) to read a more refined story. Peace y'all. #RAL86 (at Minneapolis, Minnesota) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Zlw0zBZrI/?igshid=1gg9vawhx8897

Looking For A Good Joe: Version 2.0. Fun lil @bladerunnermovie themed piece I did with @mpls.edits back in 2049 uh I mean 2017. Cleaned it up with some UV markers and a few other techniques, just in time for my upcoming group show with the @legacyglassworks folks. Happening in Uptown this Friday at 6pm. #BladeRunner #BladeRunner2049 #RAL86 (at Legacy Glassworks) https://www.instagram.com/p/B77V_CHBssH/?igshid=1scxhflc4u96u