Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Insomnia 20170131

Insomnia 20170131

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Self-portrait Contest

starting a new Self-portrait
  The Satchi Gallery is having a self-portrait contest and I entered a few of mine. Click on images to view larger.

The Queen of insomnia

Self-portrait with roses and checkerboard

Self-portrait with Andy Warhol

Slef-portrait with self-portait
Glass Walls

Self-portrait in recliner with insomnia
This last one is new tonight.  The others can be found below.  Or here.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Self-portrait Challenge July 27, 2014

Quick Self-portrait Sketch with no mirror or photo on left
adjusted by peering at photo on right
(but still not quite right)
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
Starting with the quick sketch I made of myself (without looking in the mirror), I compared it to a photo of me and then tried to make it look a little more like me while still being essentially the same picture I'd originally made.  It turned out to be as difficult as reinventing myself has been, all my life.

I would like to be thinner, prettier, younger-looking and enlightened.

Wait . . . .

I don't think those things go together.

I guess what I want--and need-- is to accept and love myself and others, just as I and they are.

Flaws, quirks splotches and all.

Monday, June 23, 2014

June 23, 2014 Pop-Art and messy office.


A Selfie from the computer's camera. This is from Snow, the Imac at R'dale.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

"Final" Back Cover Round 4

"Final" back Cover Round 4
Mary and Keith Self-portrait
I may fiddle with this a little more before I mail or after it comes back, but I'm probably quitting for now so it can be on the road asap.Painted nearly entirely with homemade paints with French pigments.

Keith as Santa
on envelope
I started this before Christmas, but of course, now it is a little out of date.

I am almost ready to mail.  Soon.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Unfinished Self-portrait with Keth

I am working on a painting for the back cover of my Moleskine.  I figured it would be nice to finish it before I sent it off, but it is slow.  I am making my own acrylic paints with pigments from France my daughter brought me from her visit there.

First coat of paint:


Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after one coat of paint
(not yet finished.)
Click this and all images to view larger

Second coat of paint:

Self-portrait with Keith
handmade acrylics
after two coats of paint
(not yet finished.)
Working at the dining room table:


We had more than a foot of snow and it was 11 below zero--I couldn't get to my "studio."  It's a little crowded and cluttered.  (Okay, it;s a LOT crowded and cluttered.)  The little vials are the dry pigments from France.

The photograph I am copying was taken December 28, 2013 by Harry Teichert at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House.  I hope to finish it soon and mail it off.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Self-portrait as a Dreamer

I am in a sketchbook exchange program and these are for the pocket in Aya's Moleskine.  The pocket is in the back of the sketchbook.  Aya's pocket says, "add dreams here" (Or something like that).  So even though I had previously done two pocket items, I did two quick little sketches of dreams for the dream pocket.

In my flying dreams, I am not always sure
if I am flying or falling.

Sometimes, I can walk through walls
in my dreams!
Click images to view larger.
These are just little, done with gouche on red-colored card stock. They don't really look me, but they look sort of like my dream self.  I am never (or very rarely) old and fat in my dreams.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Self-portrait of the inner artist with a Nightmare Lion

Self-portrait of the artist with Lion
from the nightmare series
click image to view larger
This self-portrait doesn't really look like me as a child or an adult, but is mean to represent my experience and thus is a self-portrait of my inner self.  (From a nightmare.)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Glass Walls, Self Portrait with Eagle

Glass Walls, Self Portrait with Eagle
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click to view larger
I dream I live in a house divided in half by glass walls.  On one side, I live my life.  On the other side . .  .

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Self-portrait as a girl with worms

Self-portrait of the Artist as a girl with worms
digital, small
Self-portrait as a girl with worms, by me, for Cowbird, to go with a very short story I wrote in response to someone else's story: We walked a quarter of a mile from home to the bus stop, and on rainy days, the bus would honk and honk for me to hurry, because all the other kids had run up to get out of the rain, but I was dawdling, picking up worms off the road and moving them to dry ground so they wouldn't be run over by cars.
I joined cowbird, which is a place for personal stories. 

I needed a picture of myself so I created this double self-portrait:

Self portrait with Self Portrait

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Self Portrait as the artist looking at the future

Self Portrait as the artist looking at the future

Of course, this is me YOUNGER than I am now (not really me at all). Done in Roma's with markers and pens and a little colored pencil.

The second picture is me last night with a hastily rendered copy of Cezanne's 3 Skulls done at the DIA in ordinary pencil. They have drawing sessions and provide seats, paper, pencils and easels every Friday night. And I think Sunday afternoons, too. It's the first time I've done it. If I do it again, I may bring my own pencils, stubs etc. It was a huge paper to fill in a short time with a pencil, and I didn't get it quite right--but I had a good time and looked CAREFULLY at the painting--more carefully than ever before.

Click images to view larger.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Self-portrait on old Indian Motorcycle


I was inspired by Andrea's portrait of me in my motorcycle gear to do a self portrait on an Indian. In 1964-65 (I'm giving away my age here, if you didn't already know it), I owned a 1949 Indian. This is not it, but an older one I used for the art. I have, believe it or not, NO pictures of that amazing motorcycle. But I had fun--on the bike(s) and on the art. I did the piece in metallic markers, but you can't tell in the scan.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Backfloat

or, Looking up at the sky, a bit of silliness from an image Erwin made of me. (Click image to view slightly larger).

Friday, November 12, 2010

Self-portrait of the artist as Bethany with Crown of Thorns



The Human Condition II: Bethany with Crown of Thorns

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Self Portrait as Witch 2010

Here's my annual Witch self portrait.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Self portrait of the Artist with Andy Warhol

Self portrait if the Artist with Andy Warhol, Digitally painted photo
composit, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. See original photo here.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Self-portrait at 3 Am

Here's a new drawing of mine called Self-portrait at 3 AM:

Monday, September 06, 2010

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Friday, July 16, 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

"Wicked"



for the Monday Artday challenge. The top one I fiddled with slightly on photoshop. The bottom one is the original off the iPad. Obviously this face is not my current face. Not really ever my face, but a self-portrait of thought, perhaps.

insomnia SP

If's after 2 Am and I haven't slept a wink yet.  :-(

Did this SP on iPad with Colorpad HD.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Homeless Shelter



Homeless Shelter, by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Aged hazel

Aged hazel, by Mary Stebbins Taitt.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Self-portrait of the Artist as a Camera Lens 4

Self-portrait of the Artist as a Camera Lens 4, by Mary Stebbins Taitt. Part of a series I'm working on. For Mick and Laura. See variation below.

Self-portrait of the Artist as a Camera Lens

Self-portrait of the Artist as a Camera Lens, by Mary Stebbins Taitt.
For Mick and Laura. See alternate version above.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Self-Portrait as a Divided Woman III

Variations on a theme.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Fun House Mirror

OK, it's just a column at the doctor's office, but there I am.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

in Carrousel

me, by me

Monday, April 27, 2009

Self-Portrait of the artist as Medusa

Yup, that's me all right--prolly 20 years ago, though.

Friday, April 24, 2009

updating chalk

can't leave well enough alone--but I don't have blond hair!

some inner me

Some inner me, artrage chalk