Selfie-Portrait explores the idea of selfies and self-portraits. As an artist I have made self-portraits and as a 20-something woman in the 21st century I have taken selfies. For me the difference between the two is the reason the image was made/taken. A self-portrait explores beyond the surface, usually there is some level of self-reflection within the piece. A selfie on the other hand is a pure vanity piece. An ‘oh, look at me, with my friends, I got a new haircut, I’m in a different county’ etc. Selfies are for showing off something, only dealing with the surface. Selfie-Portrait has melded together selfie and self-portrait. The three photo images are pulled from my social media, all showing off something – blue hair, pink hair & glasses. The Illustrator ‘mask’ is made from a photo I took at the height of a mental breakdown. I took it in hopes of using it one day in my artist’s practice. The ‘mask’ was made because it felt right to do as a digital painting. Painting is synonymous with self-portraits, in history and in the teaching of painting today. Originally all of the imagery was to become an Illustrator painting, but when doing the work it felt better to leave the selfie images as photos. It leaves them still very connected to social media culture. Selfie-Portrait while blends self-portraiture with selfies, it still ends up being a self-portrait.
