SELF ANALYSIS | FINAL PROJECT

For our last project of the semester, we were asked to choose an artist that would influence both our self portrait and one other painting of our choosing. I chose the artist Kehinde Wiley. This artist is known by many for his Obama portrait in 2018, which replicates his other famous pieces which use very vibrant patterns in the background of portraits. For my first painting/self portrait, I tried to replicate his framework more closely. I chose a self portrait that I felt demonstrated the radiant person I am, and added in cherry blossoms for the background. I chose cherry blossoms because they represent my hometown, Washington, DC.

Something I learned about Wiley during this process is that he traditionally uses portraits of black people he finds interesting on the streets of inner cities and fellow contemporary artists. This influenced the second painting of my final project. The original photo is of a woman I photographed at a march in DC. I found the combination of her patterned head scarf and the words “MY SKIN COLOR IS NOT A CRIME,” very captivating. I loved how it turned out in the end. My favorite part of both paintings was the skin. I had a great time building up the shadows and attempting more highlights. Both paintings were a great success and truly show the progress I’ve made over the semester.