Self-Portraits 

In these paintings and drawings, I am exploring an inner reality of opposing impulses, delusions, and absurdities that pass through the psyche. My self-portraits are a contemporary take on one of art’s oldest traditions. Inspired by the mundane daily act of seeing one’s own face in the mirror, I subvert the capturing of likeness, instead exploring concepts of masks and representing identity and thoughts, impulses, and emotions with a more abstracted approach. I use self-portraiture as a ritualistic format to explore shifting emotional states. I have always been drawn to self-portraits for their inherent intimacy, directness, and isolation. Sometimes these paintings are theatrical, while others indulge into abstraction. I have drawn inspiration from historical traditions of painting, psychedelia, and a personal iconography. I do not always know the exact outcome or even direction of a portrait when I begin, rather finding or clarifying meaning through the process. I find the forward-facing format freeing in its repetition and simplicity.  Self-portraiture for me is a continuous place to contemplate the contradicting outer and inner imagery of the self.