Day 1

I have always been intrigued by the self-portrait simply because there are so many facets to them.  Take Rembrandt: he made over 300 self-portraits in his lifetime.  When viewed together, they create a fascinating document of not only one artist's career, but also the physical changes of one man as he lived his life.

Often times the layperson will say that the self-portrait is the product of an egotistical or self-centered artist, and I suppose sometimes that's the case.  But if an artist is interested in capturing the human form and emotions, I ask what better model is there than ourselves?  We don't have to ask the model to alter the pose (because we ARE the model), we can control the facial expression, and we don't have to pay the model!

Taking all of this into consideration, I decided to undertake this project.  The self-imposed guidelines are simple: in a year's time, I will create a self-portrait every day, which will be defined as midnight until the following midnight. The portrait from one day will be posted the next day.  The art media is unlimited and will be used at my own discretion.  Simple, yes?!

#1 October 21, 2010, Ebony pencil on paper.
Sounds: The Avett Brothers, I and Love and You
_ _ _
This project begins on the day of my daughter Katey's 15th birthday.  Although it's merely a coincidence, I think it's a good day to start this off.  Happy Birthday sweetie - I love you!