Saturday, February 23, 2013

Art as a Diary

There's always something a little terrifying about painting a self portrait. And I don't just mean the naked ones. My naked face is much more telling...grey hair and laugh lines hint at a life filled with joy. But there are also the bags under my eyes that betray sadness and anxiety; heavy lidded eyes that can't sleep. For a full life does indeed have all of these moments and they are written on my skin.

 
2" x 2" ink on wooden block
 
 
I paint self portraits for many reasons. The most obvious one is that I always have a model available. But I also believe self portraits are very real self reflections. Over the years I have painted over a dozen self portraits. Put together in my journal they tell my story: I love my kids, being a mom is awesome, being a mom is hard work, sometimes I'm sad, I have a chubby butt, and I often need a hug.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope you have enjoyed a month of emotional self portraits and I also hope that it inspires you to try some of your own.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 



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