Mirror mirror on the wall... not so much the fairest of all...
I hope that anyone familiar with the numerous self portraits I have made over the last four decades will not assume I am merely an overly
narcissistic individual. If anything, what comes across to me now looking back at this body of work is the self-doubt and sometimes downright
self-loathing inherent in the images.
I guess in a more positive light, what I also see is a constant exploration and enquiry into, not just my own psyche, but different forms of expression,
using the medium of paint, and a gradual and hard-won improvement and development in my facility.
I have always had a strong liking for the self portrait genre. I enjoy looking at self portraits of all kinds, that have been made by all sorts of
human beings, from the images of hands on prehistoric cave walls, or sophisticated self portraits made by famous artists of the past and present,
to children's self depictions, or the nowadays ubiquitous "selfie" snapped on a phone. It seems to me that the self portrait is still the most
honest and direct way we have for expressing and communicating just what it is to be human.
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