September Seminars

E koekoe te tūī, E ketekete te kākā, E kūkū te kereru.

The tui squawks, the kaka chatters, the kereru coos.

Self-portrait Study

Self-portrait IV

Pathos

77cm x 65cm

Oil on unstretched Belgian linen

Close up details:

Self-portrait II

Where do I come from?

77cm x 65cm

Oil on unstretched Belgian linen

Close up details:

Self-portrait III

Fight or flight

65cm x 77cm

Oil on unstretched Belgian linen

Close up details:

Working from the value systems relative to the history of painting, I set out to continue the study of painting self-portraits.

In Where do I come from? I wanted there to be a strong personal connection with myself in situ relating to my past, but also in reference to Rembrandt’s painting The Franciscan Friar , (1606). My Grandfather was a Franciscan Priest in The Netherlands. In this self-portrait, I am reading The Embarrassment of Riches, written by Simon Schama, discovering interesting history about my routes and my Batavian temperament.

In Fight or Flight I wanted to discuss some issues that I have been trying to face up to recently. I aimed to metaphorically show how I am always putting my head in the sand and not really wanting to know or sort through difficulties from the past.

In Pathos I was focused on developing the emerging psychological pathos that is embedded and evident in this study. I wanted the emotional content to stand out as a result of the personal connection between the artist and the subject and viewer.

Using myself as a subject for paintings, I aim to consider the role of portrait paintings in contemporary art and how representations of ‘the self’ are shared today.