Self-Portraits (Part Two)

One of my favorite figurative paintings happened when I was facing a conundrum. In 2008 I had been working intermittently from the live model for about four years but felt my progress had stopped and was even moving backwards. I decided to do a repeat of a self-portrait I did in 2001. (See January 26th post) I could compare the two and perhaps get an idea what direction I was headed. I decided not to reference the first painting when setting up.

Self-Portrait, oil on linen,  18" X 15",  2008

My conclusion was that I was not being purposeful with my choices. I had been starting paintings without a destination in mind or plans to get there. I was simply going down random blind alleys. This self-portrait cleared away the clutter and put me on a clearer path.

I have said that working from the figure is an indulgence. If this is true then doing a self-portrait is a pure indulgence. Unless one is famous self-portraits have absolutely no commercial value and my guess is very few people have any interest in viewing them. I am, however, becoming acutely aware of how useful they are as a learning tool.