Lou Stovall (born 1937) was credited by artists and critics alike with helping to transform the concept of silkscreen printmaking from a commercial craft to a true art form. He was also an accomplished draftsman, as well as a designer and builder of fine furniture.

Luther McKinley (Lou) Stovall was born in Athens, Georgia, on New Year's Day, 1937. When he was still a young boy his family moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where Stovall's interest in printmaking was born. It was while working at a summer job in a grocery store that young Stovall discovered a printmaker making "Sale" signs for the store. Before returning to school at summer's end, he had begun assisting the printer.

Stovall's formal art education began in 1956 at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied for a semester before having to return home to help his family. In 1962 he enrolled at Howard University...