He quit his job to do art. Now, KC artist turns heads for unique paintings of Chiefs
When Deante Howard, 35, was younger, he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete, but those aspirations were shattered in the eighth grade after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to undergo neck surgery, making sports no longer possible for him.
Despite being unable to play, he found a creative outlet in art, and he used it to stay connected to the world of sports. Through his portraits — a combination of 1990s street art that has inspired him and realism — he captured the passion and intensity he had always admired in athletes.
Then in 2022, after losing his job in the medical insurance industry, Howard was torn between the practical choice of finding another job to cover his expenses or taking a risk and pursuing his passions.
Now a regular presence at vendor events, art festivals, and community gatherings in Kansas City, Howard has leveraged the Chiefs’ popularity to become a beloved figure among both art enthusiasts and football fans.
Recently Howard sat down with The Kansas City Star’s culture and identity reporter, J.M. Banks, and talked about the healing power of art, passion and the popularity of his sports art since the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl victories
Banks: Can you begin by telling me about your early life and upbringing?
Howard: I was born and raised here in the midtown area on 56th (Street) and Highland (Avenue). It was a dangerous neighborhood growing up but I didn’t know it at the time because looking back I thought that is what was normal. We normalized drug dealers, hearing gunshots and police sirens on a regular basis.
I went to high school at Lincoln College prep and had dreams of playing basketball, football and track. But, before I started high school I had to have surgery on my neck. I had tuberculosis that ate away at my spinal disk and that crushed any chance of me playing high school sports. So, no college sports and no career in athletics.
My other passion was always art. Anything creative I was drawn to like writing, poetry, dancing and visual arts. During my recovery, after my surgery, I really started to hone my skill and work more on my art. I went to UMKC (University of Missouri-Kansas City) for college and majored in architecture originally then switched to graphic design.
Can you describe your style of artwork?
I was inspired growing up in the 90s and it was a very colorful time. There was a lot of graffiti and I would look at the chaos, the drips and sprays and see the vision. That has always related to me in my life, like you can focus on the chaos or you can focus on the vision and when you do that you can appreciate things more. That is a big part of my artwork. I won’t say it elevates the graffiti style but I definitely mix street art with levels of realism to show the chaos, joy and beauty of life.
When did you make the decision to go into art full-time as a career?
I did not end up finishing college because I could not pay for it. I had to put my passions on the back burner because I did not think I could take my art and really make a career from it. I never knew anyone who was successful as an artist, everyone I met was a starving artist who had a day job. At the time I really didn’t know too many full-time artists.
In 2021 I saw this artist on Instagram who was a young Black man out of Atlanta. He did a lot of anime and his style reminded me a lot of my own. Seeing him support his family and provide for them doing art really inspired me. That is when I thought, maybe I can do this too.
I am lucky because I live in a time where you don’t need a gallery to open for you to sell art, there is the internet, social media, vendor fairs and you can do it yourself.
Why did you start creating portraits of Chiefs players and athletes?
I will see an image of an athlete and I would ask myself what kind of feeling or energy is this expressing. The biggest thing I want to do is inspire, encourage and motivate. Athletes in a way are the personification of the motto I live by which is hustle will make the dream reality.
Anything you want in life you can get if you are willing to put in the hard work and athletes are the proof of that. No player is where they are by accident, it was hard work and I want to capture that energy or essence. They have these qualities that you want to see in yourself and maybe you don’t see it now but you want something that will motivate you to keep pushing and that is the feeling I want to capture in my work.
Do you think the Chief’s winning streak has impacted the popularity of your work?
It definitely has had a positive affect. Funny enough it was in 2022 when I really saw for the first time that I could maybe do this full time. It was because of the Chiefs.
I got laid off of my day job in January of that year and we lost to the Bengals. I told myself I was going to put in the work and made a few Chiefs pieces and a few Bengals pieces and went up to the stadium during tailgate time and brought some prints. I was actually selling my work and that day I was able to make more than I was making monthly at my day job.
That opportunity came because of the Chiefs. Even though they lost that year, I knew this was something I could plug into. There is a lot of attention that has been paid to the Chiefs so that has definitely helped and positively affected it.
What are the challenges that you face in your career as a full-time artist?
I would say the biggest challenges are the business part of being an artist and I am still learning as I go by trial and error. I am lucky, by the grace of God, to be able to do this but I did it without a formal education in art or a mentor. It was all hands on and in the moment. As an independent artist there are struggles for getting those eyes on you and if you don’t know how to use social media it can be discouraging.
What is the most fulfilling part of your work?
I think it is two things, the feeling when a client gets a piece and absolutely loves it. When they tell me it is even better than they hoped for and seeing their excitement. I get to see the level of passion and inspiration they get from the piece and when I hear how it makes them feel is paramount for me.
Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that guides you?
I think the one I mentioned earlier, hustle will make the dream realty but also don’t worry because God got it. Essentially it boils down to you doing what you can and God will take care of the rest.
What are your goals for the future as an artist?
I want to have a piece in the Negro Leagues (Negro Leagues Baseball Museum) or Jazz Museum. I would definitely love to see some of my art in there. I would love to do some sort of a live paint event with the Chiefs when they win for the third time. I think the parade would be cool to have an arts area and I would love to do some sort of live paint there.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to follow the same career path as yourself?
Don’t be afraid to try. A lot of times people will not even try because they are afraid of people seeing them as not knowing what they are doing. You have to learn the business of what you are doing and you have to treat it like a business and not a hobby.
For more stories about culture and identity sign up for our free On The Vine newsletter at http://KansasCity.com/newsletters.
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 3:39 PM.
