Growing up in a predominantly white area in Des Moines, Iowa, B. Robert Moore didn’t see many Black and brown faces in cartoons. Years later, as his artistic career took off, he wanted to change that — or at the least, put his own spin on the seemingly all-white world of children’s cartoons.
Moore recently debuted “Imagine a World; Brown Like Me,” a series of paintings using acrylics, oil sticks, charcoal, pastels and spray paints that reimagine kids favorites, including “Peanuts,” “The Jetsons” and “The Flintstones.” “I want to paint Scooby-Doo and that cast because I’m like, ‘They should have had locs. Velma should have Afro puffs,’”
Variety spoke with Moore, 37, about working as a self-taught artist, using Instagram to build a following and his collaboration with the BIPOC-owned agency DISRPT, which aims to amplify voices with disruptive mindsets.
How are you able to channel your creative energy while working on a project?
As I’m trying to embrace more of a holistic lifestyle, I don’t stick with one style. It keeps me invested in the different narratives and the quality of work.