My self-portraits explore human frailty, emotion, vulnerability, pride and pretence. When I approach my own face in my work, I feel free. I can delve deep into my internal psyche because I am less concerned with portraying my physical likeness rather than my inner self. As a result, the works transcend the subject itself and become universal. Whether moved or repulsed, the viewer can feel the humanness within.

This total abandonment allows me to communicate my feelings through the work. I can’t do it any other way. The marks I make which create a self-portrait are raw and unrefined; they are very different than those I use for my portraits of children, or other commissioned works, because these subjects don’t hold the same level of vulnerability. I am also moved to use black more often and more forcefully when painting myself than when painting someone else.

My self-portraits are executed on Rives BFK paper with mixed media. The top layers are polymer medium. The pieces are mounted and framed without glass.