O-riginal Art Activities: Self Portrait Inspired by Dusti Bongé

The latest O-riginal Art Activity explores self portraiture from a different angle.

Create your own up-close self portrait. In this painting, Bongé paints her own feet. While the background is abstracted and full of vibrant colors, she depicts her own feet in the foreground.

Download Activity

Dusti Bongé, Self Portrait (The Artist’s feet), Oil on Canvas, 1940

Dusti Bongé is regarded as one of the first Mississippi artist’s to work consistently in a modernist style. Throughout her art career, she explored Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Supplies List:

Cardstock, Crayons

Instructions:

Step 1: Choose a body part as your subject for the painting. It can be your hand, foot, arm, etc.

Step 2: Start by drawing the outline of that body part with a crayon. It doesn’t have to be super realistic. In the painting, Bongé’s feet are simple and have little detail. Fill in your body part with a color of your choosing.

Step 3: Get creative with the background and use lots of color! Try to portray your environment in an abstract way with bold shapes and colors.