Re-reading a book after a number of years can be very illuminating. You bring your current perspective on life to a familiar story. This has proven to be the case with my latest self-portrait. Six years have passed since my last attempt. I am literally and figuratively in a very different place. This was the project I chose to christen my new studio. The painting looks passable reproduced here but has some serious problems in the flesh (no pun intended). I will credit this painting with giving me new insights into my current figurative work and sharply steepening my learning curve.
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| Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 28" X 22 3/4", 2014 |
I have been hiring private models for 10 years. Until starting this painting I hadn't fully realized how much pressure I feel in those sessions. Most of it stems from issues of time and money. There is always a finite amount of both. In addition work schedules have to accommodate a models availability. Using oneself as a subject alleviates all these issues. Pose selection is limited but the timing and length of sessions is totally in your control. The only cost is time and perhaps a deflated ego.
Holding still and staring at oneself in a mirror for hours gets tiring. I'm fairly certain I won't need to read this book again for quite some time.
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