Thinking Back: Kicking off Summer with Self Portraits.

Oil on Panel 9"x12"

Oil on Canvas, 12"x12"

Self Portraits are how we artists see ourselves.  We see ourselves in layers, superimposing our past selves over our present image, and tossing in a touch of what the future might hold. We use the images to experiment with color, composition, lighting and texture. Van Gogh painted over 30 self portraits in his short life, and Rembrandt, blessed with more years, did over 90. I have been told by art historians that they were not being egotistical, but were being practical.  After all, artists are  their own most available and inexpensive models.

In mid-June, I was invited to attend a self portrait painting session with a group of local painters but, unfortunately, it was cancelled. I had done a lot of preliminary thinking and planning. I had created a Pinterest board of fascinating self portraits by dozens of artists, and did some sketching and a lot of obsessing, so as a result I ended up painting two self portraits on my own. 

The top left painting I did first, a quick oil sketch on a small board. I had taken the reference photo of myself with my Nikon in the back yard, and liked the shadow the hat cast on the upper part of my face. I chose a blue for the sky that feels like a summer sky blue, and liked the way it played off the warm skin, hat and hair tones. 

In the second self portrait, I experimented with a very limited palette, and really enjoyed the process. I used quinacridone red, terre vert, Indian yellow, and titanium white. The reference photo was taken in Los Olivos in front of a China berry tree, and as I had hoped,  the colors captured the feeling of autumn - cool and crisp.

Will there be more self portraits in my future? I think there will be.  It was a rewarding way to experiment with some new ideas and fresh color palettes.