Born and reared in Portsmouth,Virginia, Ramel Jasir strains to grasp a memory of his childhood that does not involve creative art in some form.A self-taught artist that did not start painting until 2008 after a traumatic life event, Jasir has always been a researcher of his craft and has honed his skills and artistic talents through experiential learning. A voracious reading habit coupled with a typical little brother’s emulation of his older brother was at the root of Jasir’s official origins as an artist.

He fondly remembers the sole art lesson his big brother Alexander Hunt offered him: learning to draw the ears of Batman’s mask.That was the catalyst that launched Ramel Jasir onto a never-ending quest to bring true realism, authenticity, and passion to everything he created.

Continuously evolving as an artist, Jasir has left behind the subjects of his childhood like superheroes, but he has not abandoned the wide-eyed amazement and awe with which he views the power of creating art. Inspired by the cultural indigenous, and tribal arts of the world such as ancient Native American art, the petroglyph artwork of Caguana, Puerto Rico, and the Haida and Aboriginal artwork of Bill Reid and David Malangi, he uses the beauty and diversity of the people and places of the world to expose and reaffirm the commonalities that bind us as one humanity. Along with global influences, Jasir derives insight from the artists of his native Hampton Roads region of Virginia including Wayne Portrafka, Clayton Singleton, Sharon L. Backus Hanson as well as from the plurality of cultural heritage that courses through his own veins.

Continually open to what life and history yearn to speak to him, Ramel Jasir aims to create art that is inspiring, evocative, educational, and true.