When I first started drawing in 2010 I found that portraits and life drawing the best way for me to fine tune my perception. Self portraits are a great way to continuing this practice. I have many self portrait studies in various medium. I enjoy the cartoon , illustrative look about the outcome.
This year I have found Gouache. Gouache has turned out to be an excellently vibrant painting medium. Very much like watercolour and acrylic paint, Gouache dries almost immediately. Gouache can be easily reactivated with water. Gouache can also be moved around and blended when wet, like watercolour and oil paint. After years of using oil paint, I find that Gouache, although the speed in which it dry's can be challenging, Gouache offers a chance for spontaneity of colour in it's mixing power.
A Self Portrait can often offer insights and a cathartic intensity of your authentic self - past, present and future. At first, taking a step away from yourself as if seeing yourself in the third person. Looking at yourself as an object, as line and form can be freeing. Then it becomes an obsession. Every mistake being one more step to success. My face, on the paper, changes many times throughout the process. Often seeing different family members within my shifting face. Once again demonstrating that the process of observing and painting from life can be a mindful and soothing experience. The outcome of course is in the eye of the beholder.
Once I decided to finish, I usually feel that there is always something I could change, but I resist. Instead, I channel this feeling into the next painting. Always striving. Resisting perfection for the pursuit of a soothed mind, open ended creativity and communication of reality.
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