Original artwork description:

Like much of my work, this portrait arose spontaneously after a period of automatic painting. By applying paint with no agenda, I can let go of control, allowing random marks to become flowers or faces. I hadn't planned to paint myself. This started abstract, then a face emerged and I saw similarity with my own features. So I set about capturing my likeness. It became like sculpting my face into being from an existing person, and is perhaps no accident that the indirect gaze makes it deeply contemplative. I also see newfound confidence and fortitude. The old me would have meticulously corrected any mistakes and smoothed out any brush strokes, losing the essence. Now I let it all be, and I see the beauty in that.

Materials used:

Acrylic on wood panel

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