Today is my birthday, so I think it’s a good time for reflections.

Here is a picture of me as a new baby, with my Grandma, Brother, Dad, Mom, and Great-Grandma. Grandpa was probably taking the picture. I was so very fortunate to grow up in a loving family, surrounded by a loving, supportive extended family.

I thought it might be interesting on my birthday to share some paintings I’ve done over the years of myself. Many are self-portraits. Artists often use themselves as subjects. We’re always there when we’re ready to paint!

Siblings at the Falls

This one is from a photograph of my brother, sister, and me at Gooseberry Falls on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

In 2019, some of us returned to the scene and captured an image of three of us in similar poses.

I seem to be reflecting on nature as I sit a bit removed from my siblings.

Early Self-Portrait

This early self-portrait was done during or right after art school.

Interesting story to this one… I gave the painting to my parents and they took it to get framed. It was oil paint on canvas “paper.” The framer hot-glued it to a backing, thus destroying the painting!!!

I replaced the painting I gave to my parents with another I’d done, and then repainted this one.

Nude with Cats, 1990>

Here is a censored version of the painting Nude with Cats.

This painting was inspired by a dream I had of my two cats in these positions with me. I painted the self-portrait from life (brrr… it was cold in that studio at times) and the cats from photos. I find the open bathroom door rather rude, now 🙂

This painting was never finished, since I became pregnant in late 1990 and the black cat, Maya, died on Valentine’s Day in 1991. I’d submitted this image/idea (combining paintings and holograms) to Fringe for the Artist-in-Residence program, so had to propose a new idea (see below).

The Mother of Songs, 1991

This triptych includes pulse holograms done in three different ways: a single image, a double exposure, and two images combined together. It was completed as part of an Artist-in-Residency I was awarded at Fringe Research Laboratory.

Clearly, I was pregnant at the time. The beans, seeds, and symbols were all reflections of the power of motherhood, unity, and new beginnings.

Self-Portrait 2008

This painting was done in 2008.

Self-portraits often look a bit grim. After all, it’s hard to smile when you’re staring at yourself for so long.

I find this one a bit odd, as I seem to be focusing a bit to the left, to the right of the viewer. What’s over there?

Between Us

I had fun with this one.

I wanted to paint myself in profile, so I set up two mirrors in order to do so. It was only once I got going that I realized how many reflections of me there are in the painting!

I like seeing my ragged old silk painting shirt (now gone as rags) and the busy easel tray.

Familiar Scene, 2015

This is a familiar scene, which now has more poignancy. Gita, the beloved, is gone and so is Mel, the rabbit. Inji the cat is 18 and feeling it.

I painted myself and the background from life, again using a mirror. The animals were photographed and then worked into the painting. Animals don’t pose very well for a long time.

Swingin’ in the 70s, 2019

This encaustic piece was done from an old photo by Terry Brown that my friend Ruby Ratz found. It’s me swinging on the super-long swing that went out over the water at Camp Unistar.

I printed the image on silk paper and adhered it to the board. Then, I painted with encaustic paint and added reddish copper wired as a “frame” around the edges. Crazy! Since with the heat applied to fuse the encaustic, the copper wire wanted to just pop right off again. It took some pushing to get it to stay put!

2022

Happy New Year! Perhaps it’s time for another self-portrait later this year.