Expressionistic Self Portrait

This is an expressionistic self portrait that I did from observation in a mirror. Expressionism lends itself to bigger, more flowing brush or pen strokes to show greater emotion. My media were paint sticks, watercolor, and pen for this piece.

I started the process for this piece by drawing the most obvious contours of my face from observation in a mirror. I used paint sticks from the beginning to give less precision and show more emotion. After creating the basic shape of my head, ears, and hair, I added my facial features—eyes, eyebrows, cheekbones, and mouth. I liked the outlines of my eyes as they were so I decided not to add pupils. I smudged the thick paint with my fingers to blend the color and to make the piece more expressive. At this point I added the neck, shoulders, and collarbones and smudged these as well. I used watercolor in the background because I thought that it would be interesting to have the whole background filled without affecting the portrait (the water doesn't mix with the oil paint). I used a lot of water to get the paint to drip down the paper and fill the space. I first used just purple watercolor and then put blue highlights over it. Initially I was going to stop there. The piece evolved in that I went back and outlined some of the more obvious drip lines in pen to create more depth and contrast for the piece. I really like the way the background came out because it adds the emotional movement I was looking for while the slightly lighter colors contrast and complement the darker contours of the portrait.

In making this piece, I wanted to express stress and anxiety, for which I used the harsh, intense strokes for my portrait. The smudging, which draws the facial features to the bottom, is representational of fatigue which is conceptually complemented by the overwhelmed feeling expressed through the background washing down the page in faded drips. This piece relates to my life in that the emotions expressed are mine and because I express them in my art in a unique way. I think this piece could be stronger if I hadn't smudged the paint around the outlines, so that the background would come around the lines more closely. The most challenging part of this process was allowing myself to be gestural, where I am usually detail-oriented. I am most proud of the contour lines in the portrait and of the background, both of which I think are very strong. This piece illustrates my strength as an artist in expressionistic work and weakness only in lack of experience with this style.