Erykah Badu and Artist Steven Lopez collaborate for social change

Erykah Badu and Artist Steven Lopez collaborate for social change from Steven Lopez on Vimeo.

Respected Los Angeles visual artist Steven Lopez features soul goddess Erykah Badu in his latest addition to the “After Midnight” series, a collection of portraits celebrating notable musicians. One hundred copies of the limited edition Giclée prints, signed by Badu and Lopez, will be available. Lopez, who uses the music of artists as his inspiration for his portraits, describes Badu as one of his favorite performers whose music he has wanted to artistically interpret since first hearing her in concert in 2005. “She understands the healing power of sound and she delivers strength which is often lost in today’s music,” said Lopez.

Through his art, Lopez was able to capture that “strength” and Badu took note. Once he completed the artwork, he posted it to the comment section of Badu’s website and she reportedly loved it. “When I saw the image on Erykah’s MySpace page I was really surprised and extremely honored,” said Lopez. “It was a great feeling to know that she appreciated my work and wanted to share it with her fans.“

Badu was so pleased that she reached out to Lopez and they decided to offer a signed, limited-edition of the painting, donating a portion of the proceeds to Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D.), a charity organization she established to provide community-based programs for inner-city youth.