This Is Your Final Warning an emulation of Jean-Michel Basquiat
I first chose Basquiat because I wanted to explore a painting style that was different from what we had been practicing in class. I wanted to be able to cut loose and paint from my imagination and emotions rather than from an object or body in front of me. I love the chaotic nature of Basquiat’s work and the ways he uses his life experiences to fuel and inform his art. I think works of this nature are often overlooked because of the lack of realism, which wrongfully translates to a lack of training, but creating this work proved that notion incredibly wrong as this was the most difficult painting I have ever made. Creating a story or a theme to translate into visual art is something that requires creativity and skill far beyond what you learn in a painting class. Through making this work I realized that if I do not pour my heart and soul into my art I will never be satisfied with it. Painting a live model or a still life of objects does not produce a final product that I feel like represents my practice as an artist, but emulating Basquiat made me feel something that I have never felt before. It gave me the freedom to choose how I wanted to tell this story as well as the freedom to let my body do the work that my brain could not. It felt almost like shutting down. Like I was allowing my body to be free of all constraints and work through trauma that I could not put into words. I feel like this painting is an accurate depiction of the inside of my mind, and using paint on canvas to get it out for the world to see was a refreshing and freeing experience. I have the highest respect for Basquiat, especially after reading the books I borrowed from the library, because we seem to have similar pasts. And the way our brains work to create this sort of hectic and explosive art makes me feel connected to him in ways beyond just creating. His methods of mixing paint with oil pastels is something I really enjoyed experimenting with because it added a new layer to the work that I think elevates the concept. Emulating Basquiat helped me find my voice as an artist and through this process of visual story telling I have found peace.