Environment: In the Eye of the Man I love

For Self-Portrait Challenge: My environment: I made this for the "environment challenge" with my new screw on close-up lenses. (I have a macro too). The first one is the actual "submission" as my first self-portrait in the environment--it is a smudge painting made from a crop of the lower picture. The second one shows where it came from. If you look closely, you can see flowers (yellow irises, etc) and a pond and trees reflected in husband's eye, as well as me, taking the picture. It's the environment I love best--being with my husband in nature. Click images to view larger. I interact with the environment in part by taking pictures and making paintings of it.

On the Street

Here is my first post for the Self Portrait challenge, "On the Street." It is my mother, shortly before she died, my daughter, and I. I am the one at the top right kneeling. Not all streets are the same. (Click image to view larger.) (I have also just posted some juvenalia self-portraits.)

Although we are all smiling here, I have yet to come to terms with my mother's recent death.

Juvenalia: Self portrait in High School

I would estimate this self portrait for 1964, but that is an estimate. It is tempera on black construction paper and somewhat damaged by time, dampness and wrinkling. I don't remember now, 47 years later, if I finished it and this was what I'd intended, or if I gave it up as a bad job or what, but it has the blank eyes of a number of other self portraits from that period.

I am attempting to post this from Picasa again (do I never learn?) so it may not post at first. If not, I may post it again, when I have time.

It was apparently copied from a photo taken by Hal Phillips. (I think the photo is probably backwards in this iteration.) (I called this "Catch her in the Rye.")

I accidentally posted this to the wrong blog. I was going to move it, but instead, I copied it, so if you see it in two blogs, that's why (I apologize).

Juvenalia: Self Portrait at about 20 (Paint by numbers--NOT!)

When I was about 20, I did this self portrait. It doesn't look anything like what I looked like physically, but gives you an idea of how I felt emotionally and spiritually at the time.

An odd thing is that I must have painted it on a paint by numbers canvas, because if you look closely, you can see the paint by numbers lines in the cheeks and elsewhere. (I did NOT paint this by numbers.)

It is also damaged from being stored in a wet basement. At some point, I may make some efforts to recover it.

I have been away a LONG time and off-line (unable to access the internet) and now that I have returned, I am swamped! It will be a while before I can post regularly!

Self Portrait 5/7/07 Sketch

Self-portrait Sketch 5/7/07, done while waiting on the phone on hold. I was unable to see myself, so it is purely imaginary and prolly reflects mood better than substance.

I'm back-posting this because I was incommunicado when I did it.