Lost in Self

Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inch

‘Lost in self’ attempts to explore themes of uncertainty with one’s abilities and fear of the future. I painted a slightly more realistic self portrait, using really thick layers of paint, however I was really not liking the outcome so once I felt I had reached a stopping point I took a brush that had dried in paint so it was stiff and aggressively scratched the paint across the canvas, blending together any semblance of features. I’m glad I did because despite doubting myself and my abilities as an artist throughout the process, the outcome is emotive and energetic in my opinion. I found it really interesting how upclose all the colours form a gradient within each brushstroke.
A piece of feedback I received from one person was that it was a bit too figurative and not abstract enough, which is understandable, however this started a debate between everyone in the crit so I’m taking it with a grain of salt as it’s my expression of myself.