Norfolk Arts Billboard Artists 2023/2024

Congratulations to the following (5) local artists. Out of 118 submissions, their artwork was selected to appear on an Adams Outdoor Billboard in 2023/24. Be sure to click on the photos below for a full view. Billboard locations are indicated in the picture captions below.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻
𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿
𝗣𝗲𝘁𝘆𝗮 𝗜𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮

𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆
𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗱

Clayton Singleton
“My artwork is about our abilities to create our own stories. Layering and juxtaposition are central to my treatment of appropriated vintage photos, wall papers, and texts. I’m drawn to the narratives of the people in the photos because their captured experiences parallel my own. I create blended narratives developed from various contexts that shape and shift identity. The repetition of Adinkra symbols, fragments of wall paper, flowers and text create a density reflective of circumstances. My paintings on seemingly decorative backgrounds leave spaces to be filled in by the addition, subtraction, leaving and retrieving necessary to define an individual-self. Revealing the emotional process choreographed by contemporary society, my work echoes opportunities and moments in life that urge us forward and continue to inspire each of us to define our own beauty through living.” Clayton is the Fine Arts Chairman and an AP teacher at Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, Virginia.

Silas Baker
“I am a painter and muralist that is heavily influenced by street art and traditional graffiti. I’ve been an artist since an early age and grew up watching my father paint motorcycles and sign paint. I was influenced by the skateboard culture in the 80’s and 90’s and from there began to notice the art that went along with it. I began painting abstract art heavily in the early 90’s and it has been a large part and passion to my art career ever since. I tattooed professionally for 16 years and built an extensive clientele list over the years. In early 2020 I decided to follow a different path and focus more on my abstract style of art. I’ve been commissioned for large wall murals, furniture paint design, canvas and illustration for various projects. Everything I’ve learned has pretty much been self taught with no formal schooling other than having a one on one apprenticeship to learn how to become a professional tattoo artist.”

Petya Ivanova
“My paintings are imaginary. They are inspired and provoked by memory, emotions, and energy, related to moments in the past. Memories of childlike happiness and carefreeness.” Petya has participated in multiple group exhibitions in both Europe and the USA. Petya is currently represented by Gallerie Ukwensi in Norfolk, Virginia.

Amanda Bradley
“Originally a photographer with a focus in photo manipulation and surrealism, my current work is mostly graphic art that incorporates photography and image compositing to create unique and thought provoking images which can be anywhere from surreal to uplifting in theme and content. I am the Gallery Manager and Center Curator at the d’Art Center in Norfolk’s NEON District. Currently my graphic art is driven by the calls for artists I create, meaning, I create themed posters and images that are meant to inspire artists and their work.”

Jenn Hilliard
“Like most folks, I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing all over anything with anything that left a mark. As a teen, there was the Governor’s Magnet School for the Arts. Getting older there were outdoor art shows/festivals, among them Stockley Gardens, Gosport, Artisans in the Park, the Boardwalk Art Show, and the Ocean View Art Show. There have been several galleries, including the Charles Kello Gallery and the Artisans Loft. As to awards etc, I have garnered ribbons, honorable mentions, a surprise radio spot, placed, and also scored best in show. Like many artists I have been drawing for as far back as I can remember, with bitty horses on the inside liner pages of my books becoming herons almost as tall as me, currently… I have a bone deep, squishy love for mythology and folklore, these are perhaps my heaviest influences and it’s a rare piece that doesn’t hearken back to some old tale I’ve read. While drawing is my first love the advent of the masks were the logical next step for the things I want to portray, since I generally like my subjects to look back at the viewer. For the most part I am a mixed media artist whose style swings from realistic to suggestive, though always recognizable. I love straightforward and clear imagery, pieces that can explain themselves right from the wall, or from a face, if that piece is a mask. I feel strongly that there is room and need today for the things our ancestors knew.’ Presently Jenn’s work is featured at the D’Art Center, the Main, and at Bernstein’s Gallery in Norfolk, Virginia.