Joshua Beckett is an illustrator from Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up he would spend hours playing adults in Tekken at the arcade, and watch cartoons with his dad. Falling in love with the amazing and energetic visuals from action-oriented comics and visual media, Joshua set off on his own journey to master these skills and techniques. He began with rigorous self-study, learning to draw and ink on his own before eventually deciding to go to school and study with like-minded people. In 2015 he earned his first degree, an A.A. in paralegal studies from the Baltimore City Community College, and soon enrolled at Montserrat College of Art earning his BFA in Illustration when he graduated in 2017.
Statement
Beckett seeks to use his experiences and hurdles to create a lifelong body of work that expresses what he feels are honest and fresh perspectives on the life of many Black men. He shares his work in hopes that it inspires a future generation of young men to pursue art on their terms, the same way he was inspired in his youth. His work frequently makes overt and subtle references to these early childhood influences through the use of dramatic flair, posing, and character design. He also openly shares his experiences growing up in the “hood” in his work by seamlessly incorporating the often violent, sex, and drug-related elements from his home and his childhood. In this way, his work begins to transcend the mundane and give shape to an often chaotic and tumultuous experience understood by many from his same background. His art is colorful, authentic, dramatic, and expressive.
images of work
