Kayla Shelton is painter, illustrator and collagist based in South Los Angeles. She has always been drawn towards portraiture, the human form and exploring interpersonal relationships in form. Her creative expression was born from her desire to record the culturally rich surroundings of her upbringing. This passion grew into adulthood, where she is now using portraiture to explore black identity, community and history. The inspiration she drew from her surroundings prompted her to pursue a career in the arts, where she could continue telling the stories of her people. Through her work she hopes to spark meaningful discourse around the stereotypes surrounding  black identity and beauty within our culture. Her portraits and collages were recently featured in Magician, an exhibition on black portraiture at Fellows of Contemporary Art. In recent years, her focus has shifted deeper into the digital and public art space. She has been using her vision in service of various community building initiatives in South Los Angeles; designing for local anti-gentrification, public health, and womenʼs empowerment campaigns.