Self Portrait, 1992

Description:

For this Self Portrait, I originally intended to capture a more faithful likeness of myself, using the relfection in a mirror as a reference. However, once this piece was started, I quickly learned that different substrates also respond differently to the brush and can influence application.

The previous two paintings were produced on canvas paper, which was secured to the rigid surface of a drawing board. So, the slight bounce from this (my first) stretched canvas was unexpected, ultimately refocusing my attention to technique (once again) while simultaneously converting the seamless transitions I'd originally imagined into loose, choppy brush strokes.

As an unexpected benefit, however, this painting inadvertently became a metaphorical reflection (rather than a representational one) that more accurately portrays an identity that was still developing.

I was still a young'n, after all. :)