Christina Pappion | Mardi Gras Art + Krewe Designer + Poster Artist
Mardi Gras is storytelling—through color, tradition, and culture. I’m Christina Pappion, the artist behind Pappion Artistry, and for years I’ve had the honor of creating official Mardi Gras artwork that lives beyond the parade route—on posters, costumes, beads, and collectible designs.
What makes these collaborations special is that they’re not just “art on a wall.” They’re worn, carried, collected, and celebrated—becoming part of the Mardi Gras experience for thousands of people.
My work has been featured as:
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Official Mardi Gras poster artwork
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Costume design artwork (print artwork featured on krewe looks)
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Bead design artwork (collectible throws)
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Printed pieces and commemorative designs
Tulane Athletics Custom Logo Design
My Mardi Gras work extends beyond posters. I love designing art that can be experienced in different ways—especially pieces that connect generations and invite families into the culture.
For the Krewe of Nefertiti, my designs have expanded into:
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Clothing/costume artwork
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Bead concepts and featured design elements
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A coloring book project that brings Mardi Gras creativity to families and kids in an interactive way
READ THE STORY BELOW OF HOW THIS PAINTING CAME TO BE
"Some paintings are created with skill... and then there are some that are created with memory."
A tribute to my grandfather:
There are some paintings that are created with skill…
and then there are some that are created with memory.
This one is for my grandfather.
A lifelong member of the Zulu organization. A man whose heart beat in rhythm with Mardi Gras morning. As a little girl, I would fight sleep just to wait up for him to come home from “Zulu land” — the place he went almost every night. To me, it felt magical. Sacred. Important.
The last year he rode, he was Sheriff.
I got to help at his float party. I got to ride alongside him. I remember when we turned onto Jackson Avenue — the streets lined with faces full of anticipation, hands reaching up, hoping to catch something that would remind them of the joy they felt that day.
He worked on those coconuts day and night. I can still smell the airbrush gun. The faint sweetness of paint fumes mixing with excitement. The gold-painted shoes shimmering like glitter in the sun. The sound of beads clinking against wood tables. The pride in his eyes.
Those weren’t just throws.
They were memories being handed out.
This painting holds all of that. The light bursting behind him. The hands reaching up. The beads. The scepter. The joy. The work. The legacy.
It is more than Mardi Gras.
It is love.
It is family.
It is tradition.
It is him.
And every brushstroke carries a piece of my little-girl heart waiting up for her grandfather to come home from Zulu land.
