A Musing #8

feel like Papa’s got his groove back and it only took a few days. Painting after being absent a brush for so long was intimidating at first. I’d be lying if I said otherwise, but I still have it. Insert the riding a bicycle comparison here. What do we say for people who can’t ride bicycles? Is there a plan be activity? Anyways, I’m back to it and in full swing.

One of the major themes of my work is the artist examining himself.  There’s a big difference between a self-portrait and taking a selfie. Among the many obvious ones, we don’t really document ourselves when we aren’t happy or looking great and then proceed to share it with the world. Capturing the spectrum of the human emotion and how we wear it at the time is fascinating to me. Of course we experience the same emotions, but we never feel them the same way twice. This temporary image of yourself is created and why not pick up the brush and paint them?

This whole journey getting here to this point has be long and tiring to say the least.  I’m still here and I’m still standing. Great things in life aren’t easy to acquire, but they’re for sure worth it. This portrait is my homecoming. I’m at your doorstep after being gone for so long. I’m a Gilette commercial waiting to happen but maybe I should have a hug first. This is a depiction my days of hard work taking a toll on me. My struggles and efforts are worn, not hidden. I’m an honest painter.

Don’t be afraid to expose yourself. I mean that in the artist way and not the creepy naked under a trench coat type of way. No one likes or has time for that person. Visitors ask me if it’s me in my self-portraits and give me a bizarre look when I tell them “It’s a different version of me”.  Their confusion intensifies when I continue to add “He’s the guy I saw in the mirror that day. Haven’t seen him since”.  It’s quite amusing and like I said, I’m an honest painter.