I’m allured to the concept of the self-portrait, a
subject matter I've been intrigued with since first studying art. Once I understood creating portraits of the self can transcend the
idea of a physical representation, and become a means to self-actualization, or
realization, I found the idea behind creating self-portraiture empowering.
Over the past four years, I've been painting
with liquid watercolors on hand-made printmaking paper. The medium lends itself to an unpredictability I enjoy to
further explore my technique. When I paint, I achieve a very rich vibrancy to
the colors I use. Since the paper was not designed to use with
watercolors, paints continue to saturate the paper past the wet areas after I let the paintings set to dry. This act forces me to explore how the images form, after which I must re-evaluate how to further complete the works,
as I attempt to make visually stunning works, capturing the mood I try to
express through each piece. My results lead to creating art that captures the
aesthetic of dreamlike states: ethereal in some pieces, while haunting in others. I am amazed at what is created, as my art can seem to help me
understand more about how I feel about changes in my life, the world around me
and how I respond to these inevitably changing variables.
