Perhaps you have seen her artwork gracing the pages of Essence magazine each month with her Horoscope Art by Yvette Crocker, or etched on a pair of comfy hi-tops, or even on your favorite tote. Wherever you’ve seen her gorgeous, bold artwork, Yvette Crocker has quickly become an international name.
This self-taught visual artist and jewelry designer grew up in Washington, DC, and quit her job in 2002 to pursue her longtime passions. She began working in a gallery while independently selling her paintings. Her colorful and unique paintings are influenced by African-American women, love, life, fashion and music. Her artwork tells a story of African-American culture and details visually the natural beauty of our culture and the African diaspora. The beautiful palette of colors that she uses for each painting that she pours into appears to come to life at its completion. One of the most famous paintings she has done was a portrait of North West, adorable princess of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Lil’ Miss North couldn’t believe it was her and was completely awestruck.
Ms. Crocker has always said that she wanted to expand her brand, and in 2011 her artistic eye led her to her second passion, jewelry designing. Tsion Rocks (pronounced: Zion) was created to be worn by both men and women and is a custom line, which is a fusion of natural and bling. Each piece is a custom-made and made-to-order wearable piece of art. These exquisite pieces are made with the finest gemstones, precious metals and beads that come from all over the world. Each piece is personally designed, bought and created by Ms. Crocker herself, which explains why no two pieces are alike.
With her being a painter for many years and having a vision for all things art, it was inevitable that she would follow her passion for jewelry design. The very first piece Yvette did was a chunky artistic bracelet that eventually made it into the hands of fashion blogger Monica Byrd, who did a feature in her blog. Her friend happened to see the bracelet and challenged her to recreate the Shamballa bracelet, which are religious Buddhist bracelets. At the time they were being worn by many well-known celebrities, and several weeks and a lot of money later, her brand was born. Her beautifully crafted bracelets have since been spotted on some pretty familiar faces like Vernon Davis of the Washington Redskins, the always controversial Kanye West, and Raheem DeVaughn to name a few. Even First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha have been gifted with these beautiful bracelets.
When asked where her artistic inspiration comes from, it’s not hard to realize after you take your first look at her artwork and jewelry that it’s fashion. Every summer as a child, Yvette states she would spend her time in New York with her fashionable grandmother, who had exposed her to the fashion world, which has held her attention steadily every since.
Yvette Crocker’s I Am Art has become an international name, and there are nothing but beautiful things in store for this magnificent creative visionary!
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