You may have seen the plywood across storefronts and homes throughout the Capital Region. Then, community artists came together to share messages of hope, love and unity. In Troy, one local artist chose to paint portraits and not just designs.

When the boards went up, LaPriest Robinson knew he wanted to get involved.

What You Need To Know


  • Local artist LaPriest Robinson wanted to use his talents to spread positive messages

  • He painted Martin Luther King Jr on The Ruck's window and George Floyd on Yem Yem Deli

  • He's currently painting a portrait of Trayvon Martin

  • Robinson is also selling some pieces for donation

"I'm like, 'I need to be part of this movement, I need be a voice,' and I knew that I could do it through imagery," Robinson said.

Robinson works at The Ruck, and owner Dave Gardell asked if he wanted to use one of his boards as a canvas.

"He wanted to show that he supported the movement. Dave has been like family," Robinson said. "He's been a great mentor to me."

From there, Robinson chose to paint Martin Luther King Jr. for The Ruck's window.

"MLK was a big image. I worked on it for two days," Robinson said. "I wanted it to be heartwarming, so I made sure I showed unity because at time like this when a protest went global for the first time in history … it's crazy."

A few doors down on a window of Yem Yem Deli, he painted George Floyd.

"Through the fear, something marvelous happened," Robinson said. "We created beautiful pieces of art on these boards."

And now, Robinson is working on a piece he says personally impacted him, a death that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement: a portrait of Trayvon Martin.

"At the time, it was eight years ago, and I couldn't understand it on the level that I do now, and now I have a son. And I understand," Robinson said.

As the boards come down, Robinson's pieces will live inside The Ruck, for now, but he wants to do more than just paint. He's hoping to sell them.

"I'm hoping that we can donate the proceeds to Black Lives Matter, the Floyd family, [the] NAACP, any of those groups," Robinson said. "I know that this is just the beginning. Just like anything else we need to keep spreading awareness that black lives do matter."

Robinson is also working to create prints of these pieces to sell, and donate those proceeds as well. You can find out how and when he plans to do that by following him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.