Basquiat Inspired Crown
It’s not who you are that holds you back,
it’s who you think you’re not.
-Basquiat
Hello! I am popping up from holiday hibernation to introduce you to my wonderful friend Krisanne from The Making Table. Krisanne is an art historian, museum educator and mama of three. I discovered her amazing IG feed a few years ago and proceeded to fall (head over heels) down a wonderful and inspiring rabbit hole of her famous artist studies and have been a massive fan ever since. Krisanne’s approach to art history is playful and hands-on which makes her feed a tremendous resource for educators and care givers who are looking to introduce the world of fine art to little people. She’s a kindred spirit and the REAL DEAL. I am so thrilled to welcome her to the ART CAMP blog as a project contributor! This Jean-Michel Basquiat inspired Crown Project is SO GOOD! I will let Krisanne take it from here..
I don't normally subscribe to the notion of love at first sight, but I make an exception for Jean-Michel Basquiat. From the moment I discovered his art nearly a decade ago I was smitten, and my love has only deepened over the years for his radical and electric paintings. Basquiat grew up in New York City in the 60s and 70s, and you can feel that big city grittiness in his work--the vivid reds and greens, the spontaneous slashes and scribbles, and the truncated words flashing across the canvas like a neon sign. Whew! Can you blame me for being infatuated?
Basquiat began as a street artist boldly spray painting graffiti across the walls and alleyways of NYC and eventually began making paintings with that same energy and spontaneity. These paintings were discovered by prominent art critics who lauded him as a prodigy, and in just a few years Basquiat transformed from a poor, homeless graffiti artist into an international art phenomenon. The critics and fans alike recognized the powerful stories Basquiat told through his childlike and emotional paintings: stories about his life, the city, and the black experience in America.
One of Basquiat's most powerful storytelling motifs is the image of a black figure wearing a gold crown. This figure often represents the strong, black male figures whom Basquiat admired such as Dizzy Gillespie and Muhammad Ali. Basquiat also added crowns to his figures generally as a sign of honor and respect--referencing hundreds of years of art history wherein figures were given crowns or halos as symbols of acclaim. I was so moved by Basquiat's crowns and what they represented that I wanted to make some with my boys to communicate a universal truth to them: no matter how we're raised or where we live or what we look like, we are all deserving of love and respect. These crowns are a symbol of our inherent divinity and a celebration of where we've come from and where we're going.
Materials:
Tempera paint (Primary colors are Basquiat's trademark, but anything goes if want to try something else! Include some gold paint, too.)
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To make your own Basquiat crown, the first thing you'll want to do is dig through your recycling pile and get an old piece of cardboard from a cereal box or Amazon package. It doesn't have to be too big, just big enough to trace a crown that will fit your head. I traced our crowns free hand because it's such a simple design. Basquiat was messy and imprecise with his work, so there's no need for perfection here!
After you trace your crown and cut it out, go to town with your paints. The key here is to be energetic and spontaneous. Paint with loose and messy brushstrokes; pretend you've just eaten a bowl of sugar and have then been set free to run through a huge field. The messier and wilder the better!
Once your paint is dry, add some more details with your oil pastels such as slashes and scribbles. Again, the wilder the better!
Outline your crown in gold paint--this adds just the right note of regality.
To finish off your crown, use your hole punch to make two holes on either side of the crown, thread your two strips of ribbon through each side, and tie each strip off with a knot in the back. To secure the knots, you may want to add a touch of hot glue. This is optional, but really helps if you find your ribbon coming undone.
Once you're Basquiat crown is complete, you can put it on your head and wear it with the pride!
