Big Goals, Big Dreams

In the halls of Oklahoma City University hangs a portrait of Clara Luper titled “The Mother, The Giant.” It features the civil rights icon with her arms folded and gazing to the left with a look of determination on her face. Laid over a multicolored landscape, it projects quiet intensity and resolution.

To see the 24” x 30” oil painting in person, it would also be unfathomable to believe the artist was only 15 years old when Luper passed away.

Despite that, she had become a hero to Leondre Lattimore even before he became a Clara Luper Scholar at OCU. So, when the university decided to purchase the portrait in 2021 and hang it in the University Center’s Shdeed Lounge, he knew something in him had changed.

“Being able to have that full circle moment, knowing how much Clara Luper has meant to me personally and just people in Oklahoma City in general, that was the moment for me where I was like, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be, for sure,’” Lattimore says. “‘This is something that I can do for my entire life.’”

Since then, he has been proven correct. His oil paintings have been exhibited at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (“Framing the Frontier”), Paseo Arts Center (“The Black Prairie”), Old Rabbit Gallery (“We Are Beautiful”) and Oklahoma Contemporary (“Freedom Story”).

Lattimore can’t remember a time when he wasn’t drawing or painting something. His entire memory bank is filled with him creating artwork.

“Genuinely speaking, I have been drawing since as young as I can remember,” Lattimore says. “I actually have a baby picture of myself holding a paintbrush. Seriously. I don’t know what got me into it; honestly, I’ve been doing it my whole life.”

However, up until he got to OCU and saw the interest people were taking in his art, he had assumed he was heading toward a much more stable profession.

“I thought I was going to be a lawyer,” Lattimore says. “My mom was really big in education. So, growing up, she was definitely big on doing something that you’re going to love, but also do something that’s going to, like, help you sustain yourself throughout life. I did have a lot of interest in law, but it wasn’t the thing that I had the most passion for. Art is really where my heart is. So that’s the direction I had to go.”

After Lattimore received his bachelor’s degree in studio art from Oklahoma City University and his MPA from the University of Oklahoma, he took what would be the next pivotal step in the development of his career as an artist in 2022. He joined the Thunder Artists Group (TAG), which is a collection of Oklahoma artists who are commissioned to create various forms of art for Oklahoma City Thunder events throughout each season. The program allows aspiring artists to show their work to a wider audience.

“It was a great experience, honestly,” he says. “I think it definitely helped me elevate my career in a lot of ways, as far as just the expectations that I have for myself, and also just representing an entity like the Thunder. It’s a really big deal, and it means a lot to just people in Oklahoma City in general. So, it wasn’t something that I took lightly at all, and it’s been a huge honor to be a part of it. I think it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.”

Lattimore, 28, was part of TAG for two seasons before leaving in 2024—and he knows he may have left a year too soon.

“This past year, when the Thunder won a championship, was the first year I was an alum,” he says. “I got to miss out on one of the best years, obviously, since we won the championship. I was a little jealous about that, but man, I was really happy for all these other artists, and to just see how the program’s expanded.”

He was recently brought back as a featured alumnus at The Thunder Community Foundation’s inaugural Art & Sole. The fundraising event featured one-of-a-kind works by artists from current and former TAG members.

“I like to think that I’ve always seen bigger things coming,” Lattimore says. “Of course, you still have to realize those dreams, but I like to consider myself a very ambitious person. So I’m always thinking about big goals and big dreams.”

His work spreads into a variety of different areas; from portraits to contemporary realism to historical representation, he brings the same attention to detail to each piece. His collection of oil paintings includes portraits of historical figures like Luper and Horace Lyons, Black cowboys, Negro League baseball players and everyday women and men living their lives.

“One of the things about my art is the subject matter focuses a lot on the Black experience, specifically in Oklahoma, and also including kind of the region that’s surrounding Oklahoma as well,” Lattimore says. “I want to capture experiences that are particular to Black people or just Oklahomans in general. Moments that you wouldn’t see if there wasn’t a camera to capture them. I really tried to be authentic about capturing everyday experiences.”

Unlike many artists, Lattimore doesn’t feel the need to go to bigger cities or other countries to see his work blossom. He believes his home state has more than enough subject matter and diverse populations to keep him busy.

“What motivates me is having the opportunity to immortalize people who are close to me, like friends and family, and to be able to create work that may last even past our lifetimes,” he says. “That’s such a big deal to me; just the representation. Oklahoma is such a diverse place. There’s so much that we have to offer as far as culture and the uniqueness of what makes us who we are that I have to focus on that.”

Lattimore’s fierce dedication to representing his home state earned him the distinction of being named in Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30” list. The issue, which came out in December of last year, recognized 30 men and women under the age of 30 for achievements in various fields like Science, Media, AI and Social Impact. According to Forbes, candidates are evaluated on factors such as funding, revenue, social impact and inventiveness.

The list, which also featured Oklahoma City Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, came as motivation for the quietly confident Lattimore.

“Man, it was a big deal. Again, another moment of reassurance because it’s easy to knock yourself as an artist, even when you’re in the midst of all this creating and people tell you how much they love your work,” Lattimore explains. “It’s easy to be your own worst self-critic. So, for me, it was just a moment to remind myself again, ‘You’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. Like you’re right where you need to be.’”