Day 305

For the second day in a row, I started a self-portrait, only to abandon it in favor of a different one. Coincidentally enough, in both instances the second image displayed a much more pleasant expression and emotion.

I needed to get some things done in my office tonight. As I was waiting for my laptop to connect to the network, I grew more and more frustrated as it slowly crept toward the intended action. In other words, I was getting very mad.

I started a self-portrait that reflected that point of view. My face had a sneer. I drew a dialog box filled with exclamation points. And there were several lines surrounding my head that seemed to radiate my anger and frustration.

Then for some reason I added a blackbird near the bottom of the page. I haven't drawn a bird in a portrait for quite awhile, and I liked having him there. But inexplicably, I added some balloons to the bird and I imagined him floating past my angry face and high into the sky. And I thought that seemed like a better attitude for me as well.

Oddly enough, I calmed down. I took care of a few other tasks while waiting for the computer to do its thing. And sure enough - while it was still much slower than it really should've been - the laptop was semi-agreeable and I got my work finished.

Perhaps there's something to this...

#305 August 21, 2011,  Sharpie marker on legal pad

Day 281

I won't lie; this idea came directly from an old Pink Panther cartoon. He bought a car (and painted it pink, of course) that was several sizes too small for his long legs and got into predictable adventures over the course of a four minute episode.

The real question is: how in the world did it happen that I would use that as inpiration?! 

The answer is simple: I have no idea!  It just came to mind for some reason and I ran with it...

#281 July 28, 2011,  Sharpie marker on brown paper bag

Day 276

Upon first glance, I'll admit that it looks like I took the easy way out today. It's pretty obvious that making this self-portrait took very little time. And really, it's not even a picture so how can it be a self-portrait, right?!

For starters, I never said that every self-portrait would be an image. I've made it pretty clear that I don't believe it's necessary for a self-portrait to actually look like the artist. And while today's artwork isn't a physical representation of me, it absolutely captures who I am.

Here's how.

At different times in my life, I've been accused of being an extreme optimist - sometimes to a fault - almost always looking on the bright side even in the face of a gazillion reasons to believe otherwise. I would guess that somebody somewhere has said this phrase before, but I've never heard it...so I'm taking credit for it!

It seems to me that if being an optimist means being a "glass half full" kind of person, then believing you can just add more displays an even brighter outlook!

#276 July 23, 2011,  Sharpie marker


And I'll add this postscript: the idea to do this self-portrait came to me early this morning.  I kicked around whether or not I really wanted to go ahead and use the idea or not because it is obviously borrowed very heavily from images found all over the place online.  But I really like the simplicity of the handwritten affirmations - simply black letters on white paper - so I was inspired.  And since the phrase is very much me, I ran with it.  Very late tonight, I sat with a marker in hand and wrote the words...

Day 275

The idea for this self-portrait came to me while I was looking at a blog featuring the work of a variety of artists. When I saw a very cartoony image of a couple characters, I knew I needed to steal that style for today!

Something that I always find very interesting about making art is the way that a piece can change as the creation process unfolds. In other words, yes, my idea came from someone else's art style, but as my artwork changed and became what it ultimately did, it was no longer stealing.  A more accurate way of saying it would be that I borrowed an idea, because my self-portrait and the original inspiration have so little in common that one would be hard-pressed to suggest that one really led to the other.

#275 July 22, 2011,  Acrylic and Sharpie marker on bristol board

Day 196

This self-portrait looks nothing like my original idea.  On the other hand, I'm not sure the beginning thoughts were terribly organized in the first place!  All I knew was that I wanted my face to be a balloon...and that was it.

While making this drawing, I was struck by the fact that it looks a lot like a page from a coloring book.  The irony is that I hate coloring books!  In fact, I rarely let my kids have them when they were younger; rather, I encouraged them to make their own drawings and then add color.  Staying inside the lines was always optional...

#196 May 4, 2011,  Sharpie and pen

Day 183

Over the past couple days, I have continued to include the birds, but I've noticed a change. The blackbirds haven't been appearing in an ominous way; rather, they are merely a "presence" - neither good nor bad.

It occurs to me that when a person really notices their surroundings, among other things they will usually find birds sitting on power lines. And at a distance, all birds will generally appear to be black. Today's birds seem to be very calm and perhaps thoughtful (as indicated by the thought "circles" over their heads).  The telescoping form and the lines from my eye could represent the notion of paying attention to the small details that are often overlooked.

The "house forms" are a piece of symbolism that I have really liked for years, although I can't say I remember ever using them in an artwork before.  Most people would agree that they should feel safest in their own home, surrounded by the people and objects closest to them.  As with the previous days' drawings, I chose to let this image flow and I added details as they came to mind.  Perhaps in an unconscious way, the safety of the house forms is a reaction to how the birds are generally present in a threatening way.

For the record, I really like interpreting my artworks on the spot like this!

#183 April 21, 2011,  Charcoal, acrylic, pen, and Sharpie on illustration board

Day 82

So . . .

Tonight I was really in the mood to do another acrylic painting on black paper. And I did one. And...it just wasn't me.

That's not to say that it isn't a good painting, because it is. And I have also not changed my stance that a self-portrait MUST look like the artist - because I still do not believe that it has to.

But even when my self-portraits don't actually resemble me, I generally like them because they still contain particular aspects of me. Tonight's acrylic painting had nothing to do with me - visually or metaphorically. So, I started again.

I really like to mix a variety of materials. While this one isn't a bizarre combination by any means, I really enjoy how the mediums all work together. And while the drawing also doesn't bear a striking resemblance to me, I think that it does represent me in many ways.

#82 January 10, 2011,  Sharpie and charcoal on brown paper bag
Sounds: Butch Walker & the Let's-Go-Out-Tonights,  The Rise & Fall of Butch Walker & The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites

Day 19

When it comes to art-making, I've always been a traditionalist. In fact, I've recently spent a lot of time attempting to break the bonds of "plain-ness" and take chances with new materials, either on their own or in conjunction with others. The mediums I used today, while they are very common, are not generally used together to create portraits. And I think it goes without saying that the visual is quite different from what I've been producing in this series.

This process all began about a year ago when one of my students and I were discussing how it was very difficult for each of us to create abstract art, given our natural proclivity to produce realism. After a long conversation, we challenged each other to work in a looser, more non-representational manner. The good news is that we were each relatively successful with our results, and we each felt an artistic burden lifted from our shoulders!

For me, "the self-portrait project" has many reasons and purposes. Of course, by repetition I would expect for my drawing skills to grow exponentially. On the other hand - and perhaps more importantly - I'm excited to see what possibilities I can discover as the project develops...

#19 November 8, 2010,  Spray paint, Sharpie markers, watercolor
Sounds: Duran Duran, Decade: Greatest Hits