INDIANAPOLIS — They say there is a story behind every work of art and for one Indianapolis artist, his art is being put to life all over the Hoosier state.
“March will be my fourth year in painting,” Stewart Billings said.
Billings love for art started when way before his senior year of college. He has also been working as a tattoo artist for the last five years.
“My senior year I realized that I was the only Black person in my class, so I really got into Black history,” Billings said.
Now fast forward a couple of years later, that’s where the owner of Huge Impact Restaurant asked Billings to paint a mural of civil rights leaders who made an impact on society.
“I did a couple of the originals but then I added some of my own. I added a couple of the Black Panthers, Angela Davis, I also added Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama and Michelle because they give hope,” Billings said.
Billings works professionally as a painter and he feels like his best work is ahead of him.
“Art is all I want to do. A lot of folks think that art is a hobby, but for me, art is a lifestyle. Art is my job," Billings said.
Billings said he does his best work late at night and that’s where he feels like he gets most of his inspiration.
“I mean I feel like I’m creating beauty every day in life,” Billings concluded.
