Blue Sad

Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 cm

In this self portrait I erratically dragged the thinnest brush I could find, twisting my arms significantly to create unpredictable storm-like marks. These marks feel like the human brain to me and represent a messy mind and frustration with being misunderstood and unable to explain myself. Combined with the larger, more confident brushstrokes I attempted to show the juxtaposition of being misunderstood and trying to get past that and find the words to explain myself.
My limited colour palette of ultramarine and sap green allowed me to fully focus on the mark making, as I felt that adding more colours would have been too distracting for this piece specifically.
The paint was thinned out with linseed oil to achieve a translucent quality, allowing the white of the canvas to peek through slightly in some areas.