Self Portraits
In this series of 33 self-portraits painted on 40 x 30 inch canvases, I experimented with variations on a theme. Inspired by Bach’s 30 Goldberg variations, Beethoven’s 33 Diabelli variations and Baskin-Robbins’ iconic 31 flavors, I leaned into creative constraint to push the edges of my painting practice. Looking in a mirror and wearing the same blue hat and striped shirt, I used this series to explore the rich energy of painting from life. The first 30 paintings were made in my New York City studio from one of two angles, and the final three portraits were created at the beginning of the pandemic when I retreated to upstate New York. The progression not only charts my emotional life, impacted by my surroundings, but also demonstrates my deepening study of the properties of color, hue, shade and glazing.
