Jamaali Roberts

CEO of Jamaalistate Designs and JAM JAM ART

Est. 1988

Atlanta, GA

Portland, OR

Artist Statement

I’m Jamaali Roberts, and my journey with Jam Jam Art began in the hallways of my Atlanta high school, where I first picked up a pencil and paintbrush to sketch out my world. Back then, it was all about capturing the rhythm of life—family stories, hip-hop beats, and the ancestral echoes that pulsed through me. Drawing and painting became my language, a way to translate the vivid, multi-faceted experiences of African-Americans into something tangible, something funky.

In my 20s, I took that energy to the streets, painting my first mural—a bold, colorful declaration of who I was and where I came from. That wall was my proving ground, blending satirical nostalgia with an Afro-futurist twist. It sparked a fire, pushing me to explore cartoons, anime, and eventually pixel art, all while chasing the patterns of movement and musicality that define my work. Jam Jam makes funky sci-fi pixel art and paintings and has won awards because of his painting and animation skills—and that mural was the seed.

Now, I’m a full-fledged teacher and freelance creative, building a legacy rooted in collaboration and growth. After earning my BFA in Painting and Drawing from Portland’s Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2017, I returned to worked within the Portland and Atlanta, community with a mission. I’ve painted award-winning murals that light up the city, dropped NFT collections on Ethereum and Polygon, and launched “Pump Up the Jam Jams” on Gumroad—a 3-hour animation course that’s empowering artists to create their own characters. My Twitch streams bring fans into the process live, and my workshops—spanning youth education to adult collabs—share the wealth of knowledge I’ve gathered. From local art nods to digital creator awards, my painting and animation skills have earned recognition, but it’s the community I build that drives me.

Jam Jam Art is my vision: a creative collective producing illustrations, murals, designs, fashion, and inclusive arts education, all infused with music and diversity. I wield acrylics, Adobe Suite, and a beat-driven spirit to craft lush, illustrative works that resonate. Whether I’m drumming African rhythms in Portland and Atlanta, hosting drawing jams, or freelancing for clients, I’m here to inspire my peers and amplify our collective impact. This is my story—funky, sci-fi, and fearless—from a high school sketchbook to a canvas that spans cities and screens