Self Portrait in Door Reflection, January 2006
This is a painting of the reflection of my face in a door. The gloss paint on the door provided
the high shine needed for the reflection, but the texture from many coats of paint on the door
over the years meant the image was striped and almost pixelated.
I liked the way my face loomed out of the darkness (in fact, the painting works quite well in a
poorly lit room) and the fact that I could recognise my features despite the lack of detail.
I found this intriguing since most portraits tend to be quite precise and detailed, yet the images we have of people in our minds are never so clear. This is equally true (if not, more so) of our own self-image. Whilst we are more familiar with ourselves than anyone else, we still find it hard to define ourselves in any clear way.