Older and Wider (But still painting!)

In college I painted probably over 10 self portraits. I even made etchings, lithographs, and countless drawings of myself in pencil, charcoal, and pastel. Trust me, it is not because of vanity; I’m just a very cheap model. This week I tried my hand again at a self portrait, this time in acrylic on canvas over a previous still life painting.

It is truly hard. I am still not happy with the result but feel more confident that the next self portrait will come much easier and look better. Meanwhile, I will struggle with this one for a while. At first, I felt I was painting this character from Monsters University, but as my image progressed, it switched. Instead of painting myself, I felt I was painting my sister, Anna Billstrom. To be honest, she would be a better model: I move too much when I paint but I am as familiar with her face as my own.

Other work: I am also trying to finish the Diving into My First Cup of Coffee and Kite Day in Dublin. I am having more success with the latter.

Diving Into My First Cup of the Day (Unfinished)

I am truly frustrated with this painting. The steam looks too uniform, and possibly too much. I will keep painting until I get it right. Fortunately, my sons Elliot and Tilden seem to have excellent suggestions and have been quite helpful.

Kite Day in Dublin

Kite Day in Dublin might be done. I need to put it aside for a while and look at it again with fresh eyes. It could be in danger of being overworked.