Keith Haring is our artist for May. He is one of our own Pennsylvania artists.
He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 4, 1958.
Keith was raised in nearby Kutztown, Pennsylvania where he developed a love for drawing at a very early age. His bio page on his official website states that he learned basic cartooning skills from his father and from popular artists such as Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney.
After high school he went to art school in Pennsylvania, but dropped out.
He moved to New York City and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts there.
While in NYC, Keith became very interested in public art - art for everyone.
He soon found a medium that allowed him to communicate with the public audience he desired. He figured out how to make art work that everyone would be able to see.
While in the subway one day, he noticed the many unused advertising panels covered with matte black paper.
He decided to start drawing on these and created hundreds of drawings in white chalk throughout the subway system.
These public drawings in rapid rhythmic lines became what he was known for in the art world. The subway travelers would stop and talk with him while he worked.
He had his first solo exhibit in NYC in 1981.
Dancing Dogs
Through out his career, he devoted much of his art to public works.
You can look at some of his art ideas and coloring sheets by clicking on HaringKids and see if you like them or not. He died at a very young age, 31 but his art lives on with us forever.
