Biography

Littleton S. Irby was born in Inwood, on Long Island, in New York. In fourth grade, he was forced to see the school psychiatrist three times a week, for two years for submitting a petition to the principal to have the men’s rest room cleaned regularly.

He saved $40,000 in tuition after becoming a resident of Iowa State working a full-time job and school half the time. He graduated with a BS from Iowa State University, with a minor in Fine Arts and Business. He attended the Academy of Art College, San Francisco, and was the second black male to become GM to 250 employees at a 7.6-million-dollar fine dining restaurant in the East Bay of California. At 49, he decided to work full time as a visual artist. Littleton has published artwork in three exhibitions and two books and wrote three book journals on the Best Seller list. His reliance on color theory and cleaner brush strokes drip emotions, using reverse color theory to transform values that influence beliefs and choices. He uses the opposite of what society has taught everyone to show how uncomfortable life can be when you are represented as evil.

Artist Statement

In my artwork, I will show you how I use Abstract Expressionism to create a sophisticated experience.

Consider taking a step back looking, breathing and feeling my creation move through you.
Throughout my work, I strive to appeal to the viewer's emotions through color theory, a finished brush stroke, and a composition that doesn't reflect my own exclusive childhood, the mood and feelings are very present.

I deconstruct visual problems differently, because I represent several sub cultural biases. My response uses thought-out researched ideas clearly constructed through unusual colors expressed anonymously, meaning there isn’t a quick prejudice of his skin, gender or sexuality. My objective with art is a create a piece so the untrained viewers’ eye reacts with curiosity from exposure to shockingly intense colors and complementary design ethics for dramatic interpretation to inhibit emotional response and expression.

The essence of my art is that it challenges your perceptions of good and bad and your judgment on black and white. In terms of my work, light is bad and dark is good, so if you want to understand it, you must surrender, step back, and just look at it, not just view it.