About this episode

Maurice Scarlett III discusses his journey as a visual artist, using pain as power and re-imagining Black representation in art.

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Maurice Scarlett III ! About Maurice Scarlett III: Maurice Scarlett III is a Baltimore-based visual artist and multi-disciplinary creative named after his father from West Baltimore. He is of Jamaican heritage and specializes in figurative art characterized by darker, alluring tones that capture the essence of Black figures. His journey began in 2010 with photography—documenting friends who were musicians, DJs, and clothing designers right after graduating high school. In 2017, fashion designer Kirby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss discovered him on Instagram and invited him to collaborate for New York Fashion Week, a pivotal moment that pushed him to take painting seriously. We talk about his evolution from photography to painting and how his work has become more grounded, immersive, and soulful—"more of his essence in it." Scarlett discusses his use of dark tones rooted in life experiences, grief, and learning to use pain as power. He explains his philosophy of embracing imperfections, quoting Miles Davis : "If you mess up on a key, keep that because that can make the song better." Scarlett describes his approach to portraying…

People in this episode

Host: Rob Lee

Guest: Maurice Scarlett III

Topics covered

• Black representation in art
• visual art
• pain as power
• Baltimore culture
• figurative art
• artistic evolution

Keywords

• Baltimore
• visual artist
• figurative art
• pain
• Black representation
• artistic evolution
• photography
• Pyer Moss
• Miles Davis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pyer Moss

Places: Baltimore, West Baltimore, Jamaica

More episodes of The Truth In This Art: Stories That Matter

• Louis-Antoine Gilbert Interview: French-American Painter on Cubism, Moebius & Art Deco · July 13, 2026 · 1h 9m
• Zoë Poindexter: A Revolution Called Love, Black Love Day, and Storytelling for Us · July 9, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Paloma Vianey | Painting Through "The Most Dangerous City in the World" · July 6, 2026 · 54 min
• Miles Johnson Interview - MJ On The Wall | Engineer Turned Self-Taught Painter · July 2, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Bernard Feinsod | 17 Years Behind the Scenes: Vice Media to Going Solo · June 29, 2026 · 1h 17m
• Jacob Ming-Trent · June 27, 2026 · 52 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Truth In This Art: Stories That Matter podcast page.