He Is!

He Is!, painted from observation from the corner of my old apartment in Chiswick, London, was an attempt to semi-faithfully represent my whole field of vision, including my mustache and nose, the frame of my cheeks and brow, and my own body from my point of view making this painting. I did take some liberties, in that my self-portraits in the mirror and window have different expressions, reflecting the brightness or dimness of their respective visual zones. The painting of the painting begins to iteratively dissolve into expressive, impasto paint, as it is one more step removed from the real experience it represents. To the right, below the window is an audiobook of The Bible I was listening to. Reading the Bible, and many other spiritual books, I think, has contributed to me having the kind of space to step back and reflect upon my observations and understanding of reality and to seek the inner spirit of things and appearances, and I think this painting and perspective may be a representation of that feeling. I also think it is worthwhile that the painting highlights subjectivity, because paintings often present scenes that are effectively from Nobody's perspective. By grounding the scene in a particular head and location, I intend to recall the particularity and uniqueness of all of our perspectives and experiences.