This oil painting is a self portrait. At first, I wasn’t thrilled about painting my own face, but my instructor insisted that he had a picture of me which he deemed too lovely to be left alone and he wanted me to be the one to paint it–he felt that my particular style was a good fit. Now that it’s done, I have to admit that it was a lot of fun, especially with all the subtle color changes and the light tones.
I put the painting in my senior exhibit just before I graduate college, and it was my dad’s favorite piece in my collection. I gave it to my parents as a gift when I graduated. They had given so much not only for me to be in the college I loved so much, but they gave me existence and everything I am is because of their influence, patience, selflessness, and so much more. I thought giving them something like a painting–something I pour myself into, something that is a direct result of my college training, and something which depicts me–was the best way to thank them.