Self-portrait as gardener
(See "About gardening")
At the start of the year I wrote that I would be trying to draw and paint more this year. After several months I have just finished a project of doing six self-portraits engaged in favourite occupations. This is not intended as an exercise in narcissism. Indeed, the portraits may seem to be unflattering and not particularly true to life. They are more in the spirit of this blog an attempt at self-description, or should I say self-depiction.
The main reason artists go in for self-portraits is so that they can practise on a model that is endlessly patient and sits still in exactly the desired pose. The drawback is that this implies looking at yourself in a mirror so the poses are limited to being able to see yourself. It also inevitably leads to a fixed stare and unsmiling face, best sent up by Courbet in his self-portrait as a madman, as the artist concentrates on trying to get himself "right". Then there has to be a decision on correcting from left to right, which I have applied to my hand (one only as the other is employed) but not always to my hair.
The choice of background is always significant and in these portraits it is intended as symbolic rather than real. Impossibly, the garden has flowers from different seasons in bloom at the same time, while the forest and moutains are stylised from memory.
I have worked on a larger scale than usual, A3, and in a new medium for me, watercoulour pencil. Having got used to the technique and worked out what I was trying to achieve, after completing the series I redid the first one, the gardener.
Self-portrait as cyclist
(See "About cycling")
Self-portrait as interpreter
(See "About interpreting")
Self-portrait as mountaineer
!See "About mountains")
Self-portrait as guitarist
(See "About playing the guitar")
Self-portrait as artist
