Painters are always interested in how the eye sees things, how images resolve up close and at distance.
In this painting, I am creating “two images in one”: a pleasing abstract and at a distance, a self-portrait. Up close, I wanted it to look painted. Like a mosaic, the surface predominates, effectively overriding resolution of image. At a distance, it’s easy to see the image (try squinting to see what I mean) and once seen, as with most illusions, it then becomes more difficult to “not see”.
The work is actually a “portrait of a portrait” and is based on a pastel of mine from a few years ago. “Painting from paintings” is becoming a theme of mine. But more of that later.
