35 Years of Self Portraits — Growing, Learning, and Healing as an Artist
I have been creating images of myself for 35 years and I do not plan on stopping any time soon.
But why do I do it?
I believe it is inspired by the desire to find, understand and embrace my particular beauty; and to express my unique voice. In art I feel I may be fully seen and heard. Outside of art, I have struggled to communicate who I am.
The practice of self-portraits is not new. In fact, artists have been creating self-portraits for centuries.
The first self-portrait I ever created was a photo of my reflection, in a full-length mirror, wearing a very simple lace body-suit I had just purchased. I felt so good in it, I felt compelled to record it, to make it real. This was the first time I remember feeling that I looked beautiful. It was 1987 and I was 20 years old. I still have the B&W image that I printed a few years later.
In 2001, I created my first painted self-portrait The Artist’s Repose. It is simple in style and technique, but I love it. That summer, I participated in a 5-day workshop on self-portraits, which cemented this particular relationship with myself.
