Merret

Within fashion and the media, we are told what is acceptable to wear in public and what isn't; and that goes for makeup too. And I feel because of these restraints, it is the reason I've always been more drawn towards editorial makeup looks. In "The Art of Self Invention," Finkelstein spoke about Arbus saying, "She produced portrait photographs that framed her subjects so that they disrupted and reversed the status quo. She re-figured fashionable objects like formal dresses, long white gloves, lipstick and face cosmetics to seem strange and ambiguous." And in the same way Arbus made her own different and unorthodox choices with her art, as so did I.  For my self portrait I decided to go for a colorful graffiti-inspired art of Jean-Michel Basquiat using watercolors on my face. Along with the watercolors, I printed and glued his signature crown on my head to complete the full Basquiat art piece. I took the art that was inspired by Basquiat and instead of leaving the art on a canvas or paper, I let it sit on me. Unfortunately in my situation, I came to a very awful discovery a little too late into my project: I'm allergic to an ingredient in the paint, and that put an end to my project a little too quickly. What started as an idea to create a collage inspired by many different artists and their works, started and ended with my attempt at a basquiat-esque painting. So to include the artists I originally wanted to include, I decided to be inspired by their photography and editing styles. I edited myself into the ever-famous pop art style collage which is inspired by Andy Warhol. And alongside that, I gave my photos a pastel color (pink) backdrop and grisaille-like skin which was completely inspired by Amy Sherald. Though, it didn't turn out how I originally planned, I'm very proud of what I was able to come up with and am very thankful for the artists who continue to inspire me and help me broaden my horizons.