Self-portrait: August, 1971

14" x 17", ink on paper, 2003

To celebrate my birthday today, I thought I'd post a self-portrait (but not a traditional one). Other than school assignments, I haven't done many self-portraits --only a couple, in fact, not including paintings in which I incidentally appear with others. Although the genre of self-portraiture is supposedly "venerable" and is certainly centuries old, I don't find myself to be a very interesting subject, visually, and prefer to paint other people and things. That said, I may very well do a few more self-portraits as I get older and, I hope, more interesting.

I found that the photo this is based on was date stamped "August 1971" which meant it was taken while my parents were at a Macedonian picnic about two months before I was born. Naturally, I felt it would serve for a cheeky painting...

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