Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 2021
16x20 in
This surreal self portrait speaks to my portrayal of self, especially during a harder part of my life, specifically the two time experience of partial facial paralysis that may be gone now, thankfully but it certainly left its effect on me both physically as some of my facial muscles are still partially affected and emotionally. The use of the sky is personal to me as I am constantly fascinated by nature and the beautiful changes that the sky goes through daily, but also I think showcases the emptiness that was left by the paralysis. The moths, while a creature that I personally adore, also represented the ideas of having everyone's eyes on me and my face, which affected me in many different ways. Overall this portrait was a therapeutic way of facing that situation and it was done maybe half a year after my second run in with the facial paralysis so the emotional scars it left were still quite fresh.
A tiny glimpse at the process:
