ALEAH CHAPIN (b. 1986), "Listening in the Dark," 2018, oil on panel, 24 x 36 in.
On Self-Portraits > View a sampling of how more than 75 American artists have chosen to portray themselves over the past 120 years.
Self-Portraits: When Artists Depict Themselves
BY MAX GILLIES
Self-portraits are very much on our collective minds these days. First, there’s the matter of selfies. Thanks to the extraordinarily good cameras built into most smartphones, almost anyone can take a decent photograph of themselves. Most of the resulting images are not great art, so what makes the self-portrait of a professional artist that much better?
This question, among others, was addressed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in its 2019 exhibition “Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today.” This is a sampling (as seen in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine) of how more than 75 American artists have chosen to portray themselves over the past 120 years.
On offer here is an array of self-portraits painted, sculpted, and drawn by artists who live throughout North America. We are delighted by what they see in the mirror, and we encourage them to keep looking there in the years ahead, much as Rembrandt and Van Gogh did throughout their careers.
1. Krystal W. Brown
KRYSTAL W. BROWN (b. 1968), “Guardian (When She Realized),” 2018, oil on paper mounted on panel, 11 x 16 in., collection of the artist
2. Aleah Chapin
ALEAH CHAPIN (b. 1986), “Listening in the Dark,” 2018, oil on panel, 24 x 36 in.
3. Tanja Gant
TANJA GANT (b. 1972), “Ego Sum,” 2015, graphite on paper, 8 x 11 in., collection of the artist
4. Matthew James Collins
MATTHEW JAMES COLLINS (b. 1970), “Self-Portrait,” 2012, plaster, 3/4 life-size, collection of the artist
5. Michael Bergt
MICHAEL BERGT (b. 1956), “Self-Portrait,” 2003, egg tempera on panel, 14 x 11 in., private collection
6. Felicia Forte
FELICIA FORTE (b. 1979), “Self-Portrait, Evening,” 2016, oil on paper, 16 x 12 in., private collection
7. Gerald J. Fritzler
GERALD J. FRITZLER (b. 1953), “Fritz,” 2012, watercolor on board, 19 x 14 in., collection of the artist
8. Arthur Haywood
ARTHUR HAYWOOD (b. 1990), “I Will Be Brave,” 2015, oil on linen, 10 x 8 3/4 in., available from the artist
9. Anna Rose Bain
ANNA ROSE BAIN (b. 1985), “Silent Snowfall,” 2017, oil on linen, 36 x 30 in., available from the artist
10. Kamille Corry
KAMILLE CORRY (b. 1966), “Self Portrait — Winter,” 2014, charcoal, charcoal pencil, and gold pigment on paper, 26 x 18 in., private collection
11. David Jon Kassan
DAVID JON KASSAN (b. 1977), “Self-Portrait,” 2014–15, charcoal on paper, 16 x 12 in., available from the artist
12. Todd Baxter
TODD BAXTER (b. 1954), “Todd,” 2017, pencil on paper, 23 x 19 1/2 in., available from the artist
13. Karen Ann Hitt
KAREN ANN HITT (b. 1960), “It’s Personal,” 2015, conté crayon and pastel on paper, 13 x 11 in., collection of the artist
14. Matthew Bird
MATTHEW BIRD (b. 1977), “A Work in Progress,” 2018, watercolor on paper on aluminum panel, 20 x 16 in., available from the artist
15. Ellen Starr Lyon
ELLEN STARR LYON (b. 1974), “Lost in Thought,” 2018, oil on board, 8 x 8 in., Abend Gallery, Denver
16. Jeffrey T. Larson
JEFFREY T. LARSON (b. 1962), “Self-Portrait,” 2014, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in., collection of the artist
17. Jim McVicker
JIM MCVICKER (b. 1951), “Laughing Self,” 2012, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in., collection of the artist
18. Jill Banks
JILL BANKS (b. 1958), “Randy and Me,” 2007, oil on linen, 30 x 40 in., available from the artist
19. Linda Harris Reynolds
LINDA HARRIS REYNOLDS (b. 1957), “Unrecognizable to Myself (Self Altered Study),” 2018, pencil on paper, 8 x 5 in., available from the artist
20. Lorena Selim
LORENA SELIM (b. 1952), “Self-Portrait Vanitas,” 2016, oil on aluminum panel, 22 x 13 in., collection of the artist
21. Duffy Sheridan
DUFFY SHERIDAN (b. 1947), “Self-Portrait,” 2009, oil on linen, 32 x 30 in., Marshall Gallery of Fine Art, Scottsdale
22. Mary Sauer
MARY SAUER (b. 1986), “Expectations,” 2014, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 in., available from the artist
23. Zack Zdrale
ZACK ZDRALE (b. 1977), “Self-Portrait 4/09,” 2009, oil on canvas, 12 x 9 in., private collection
24. Radek Vizina
RADEK VIZINA (b. 1978), “Effigy,” 2015, oil on panel, 12 in. (diameter), Westland Gallery, London, Ontario
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Jill Banks painting “Park Place” on location in Place des Vosges in Paris in 2018
The artist’s studio space at the Artists’ Atelier in Great Falls, VA is open for regular visiting hours and by appointment
How did you get started and then develop your career?
Jill Banks: After running a successful business for 16 years, I found a passion for oil painting through classes at the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia. Inspiring teachers passed on not just the how-to’s but also their love for all things art. I was totally hooked. Soon painting seemed as important as breathing (except the latter helps me paint some more).
A huge boost in mastering the business side of building an art career was dreaming big and being willing to dig in to make good stuff happen. While taking classes back in 2003 with still SO much to learn, my goal was to create this beautiful life full of travel, joy and discovery, supported by sales of my work. Honing my skills happened right alongside building my career and growing a tribe of students, collectors, enthusiasts and art friends.
I have found the whole journey exhilarating. Your art needs to be “out there” to be noticed and purchased … and I love being out there with you. Giving public demos, teaching, writing about life as an artist (newsletter and articles), participating in fine art festivals, opening up my home and group studio regularly, exhibiting regionally and nationally, painting in plein air competitions, gaining awards and press, and enthusiastically being an ambassador for art wherever I am, has been the foundation for building a thriving, full career.
One spectacular stepping stone along the way was my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. Read up on it on my website.
How do you describe success?
This life I’m living fits my definition of success. To be able to make people happy (including oneself) doing what you love is the ultimate blessing. I’ve stood on the streets of Paris, the South of France, Italy, Spain and lots of places in the US soaking it all in, capturing it live in paint and then seen those pieces go off to loving homes, often with the owners becoming great friends.
How do you find inspiration?
It truly is everywhere, but I did dig deep to find out what speaks loudest to me. Grabbing my easel and heading to the farm or a market or urban street to capture life as it happens is a sure bet. I love color, challenges, changes, atmosphere, people and activity. Personal painting trips in the US and abroad shake things up and keep me exploring fresh ideas with a smile on my face.
While working on location, the initial scene in front of me is not nearly as interesting as I trust it will be as the hours pass. Inevitably, the coolest things happen. Subjects wander in, the light pours brilliance into the scene, the canvas fills with all those movements and moments that can now be appreciated because I took the time to stand still and see. I find inspiration by showing up.
What is the best thing about being an artist?
Not sure I can pick just one. Perhaps the best thing is that by doing this thing I love most — painting — I am inspiring so many people: students, visitors at my easel, collectors, admirers.
Who do you collect?
Tim Kelly, James Crandall, Derek Penix, Mo Teeuw, Kim English, Qiang Huang, Julian Merrow-Smith and many more. In addition to paintings, I have a large, wonderful collection of handmade pottery. Having pieces made by someone you know — painted or built — as a regular part of life is like being surrounded by friends every day.
Jill Banks, “Luxembourg Ladies,” 20 x 16 in., oil on linen-lined panel – was started plein air in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris in 2018 and finished in the studio in 2020Jill Banks, “Just Picked,” 30 x 40 in., oil on linen, 2020 – created in the studio from plein air references and memories of painting in Aix-en-Provence in 2019Jill Banks, “A New Day,” 24 x 12 in., oil on linen-lined panel, 2020 – created plein air at a friend’s farm over two long afternoons. The guinea hens came out late in the day.Jill Banks, “City Blooms,” 30 x 30 in., oil on linen, 2021
Recently opened at the Watts Gallery is a rare exhibition highlighting Henry Scott Tuke (1858–1929). Famous in Victorian and Edwardian Britain for depicting young men bathing on sunny shores, he learned to paint outdoors while traveling in Italy and France after study in London. Like many contemporaries, Tuke was drawn to the Newlyn colony in Cornwall, where he recorded the seafaring life endured by local residents. An avid sailor, he eventually moved 30 miles away to the village of Falmouth, where he converted a 60-foot brigantine into a floating studio.
Tuke arrived at a unique fusion of plein air painting, vivid coloring, and almost Impressionistic handling, focusing on vaguely homoerotic scenes of un-selfconscious young men swimming and messing around on boats. The resulting pictures capture the chromatic effects of sunlight on skin and won applause at London’s Royal Academy; several works were acquired for Britain’s national collection.
Today these images evoke complex interpretations ranging from pastoral to erotic. These ideas are explored in the show’s 160-page catalogue, which features essays by six scholars, including Watts Gallery chief curator Cicely Robinson. On offer this season are talks, discussions, and workshops in drawing and painting the figure en plein air.
Watts Gallery — Artists’ Village is the perfect place to organize this project. The site was established in 1890 — when Tuke’s career was flourishing — by the even more famous painter George Frederic Watts and his wife, Mary. The Tuke show will move on to Cornwall’s Falmouth Art Gallery, which Tuke co-founded and which holds a major collection of his art.
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Girls Running
By Holly Keogh
Oil on canvas, 2020
60 x 71.75 in.
$10,000
Holly Keogh “aims to render visible our desire to preserve experience” in her narrative, semi-documentary paintings. Inspired by photographs shared between family in American and England during her youth, Keogh’s paintings offer hazy, gently blurred narratives that speak to our desire to archive the past while knowing we cannot truly recreate or encapsulate it. The transparency of the paint and lack of sharp detail simulates the uncertainty of memory and time, inviting a delving of memory and the projection of the viewer’s own experiences into the narrative. These captured moments hold a sense of unease or disquiet; forever passed, they haunt in their incompleteness.
In Girls Running, the hazy imagery and gently faded colors serve multiple thematic roles. The indistinct details of the image continue the artist’s exploration of the imperfection of memory and shared experience. Here however, the blurring of limbs and faces also exaggerates the sense of movement, adding another layer within which the viewer can participate. Girls Running is currently included in the traveling exhibition Rising Voices 2: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Artists organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art.
Keogh graduated in 2012 with a BFA in painting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a course of study that included a year abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. She currently lives and works in Charlotte, where she is represented by SOCO Gallery. Keogh is an original member of the Goodyear Artist Collective and was an inaugural artist-in-residence with the program. In 2019, she participated in the Pienkow Artist Residency in Chelm, Poland (where she received the People’s Choice Award) and in 2020 held an artist-in-residence at the McColl Center for Art in Charlotte. Her art has appeared in the magazines Our State, Home Design and Décor, Hi-Fructose, and The Charlotte Observers, among others, and in the 2018 publication The Beautiful Book of Exquisite Corpses: A Creative Game of Limitless Possibilities, by Gavin Edwards.
You can learn more about the artist at her website at www.hollykeogh.com and follow her on Instagram at hckeogh.
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
Poppies by Loren DiBenedetto, Oil, 24 x 30 in. (gallery wrap); Anderson Fine Art Gallery
Quiet Reflection by D. Eleinne Basa, Oil on linen, 24 x 36 in.; American Tonalist Society
Chuckie’s Flowers by Stuart Dunkel, Oil on panel, 24 x 18 in., Signed; Rehs Contemporary
Chase of the Brilliant by John Bentham-Dinsdale, Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in., Signed; Rehs Galleries, Inc.
City Glow by Craig Mooney, Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 in.; Vermont Artisan Designs
Garden’s Edge by Tim Cherry, Bronze, 10 x 20 x 8 in., ArtzLine.com
Royal Terns by Geoffrey C. Smith, Original oil on 100% plantation & sustainable wood (contains no tropical hardwoods), 48 x 18 in.; Geoffrey C. Smith Galleries
Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.
Color lithograph by Theophile Steinlen of French Women Mourning, 2020.23.1d, museum collection
When the first World War exploded in the late summer of 1914, armies took the field in bright uniforms and navies steamed to sea flying the colors of their nations. For the ensuing years of global war until the peace treaty was signed on June 28, 1919, most history has centered on battles, leaders and empires.
Throughout this time, a largely unrepresented population in the histories were women in countries involved in the war. Women worked in war industries like agriculture, nursing and transport, while engaged in the fight for voting rights, equal pay and respect. In France, recent scholarship has shown that the survival of women’s fashion also played an important role in keeping up morale, maintaining ties with allies and even helping the war-time economies.
“Silk and Steel: French Fashion, Women and WWI” features original dresses, coats, capes, hats, shoes and accessories from period French designers including Madeleine Vionnet, House of Worth and Hermès. From the evolution of the war-time silhouette, the influence of military uniforms and post-war emancipation, this exhibition provides a new chapter of the history of the war at the Museum and Memorial. Presented by PNC Bank, “Silk and Steel” will run through September 6, 2021 in the Wylie Gallery of The National WWI Museum and Memorial (Kansas City).
Black silk satin and tulle evening dress designed by Madeleine, Paris. The Preservation Society of Newport County, RIFrench Army artillery officer’s wool dolman style short jacket, 1914 theme Military Uniform influence, 2014.22.1Unknown maker, Lion Head Shell Art, c. 1918, brass shell casing, 8 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 4 3/4 in., National WWI Museum and Memorial, Kansas CityPetit point French evening bag with beaded metal frame and chain link strap Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection University of Missouri 2018.17.9_01 U of MTheme Women at Work AM-W-22_1920.1.259, Museum collection
“The war effort had an all-encompassing impact on societies, but the role of women is often overlooked,” says Dr. Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. “Through the lens of French fashion, this exhibition exposes us to the many ways that women were full and equal participants in the Great War. It is an engaging examination – and the collection that will be displayed is truly remarkable.”
“Untitled (Near Fillmore)” by Gail Pidduck, 2020, Oil on board, 32 x 32 inches
Twenty-one works of art by local artists will soon be up for grabs during the Santa Paula Art Museum’s online Fine Art Auction Fundraiser. Online bidding will open Monday, August 16, 2021, and will close Sunday, August 29, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. PDT.
More from the Museum:
The Museum’s annual Fine Art Auction is the nonprofit’s biggest fundraiser each year. All proceeds raised from the event will benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum and the thousands of children, families, and adults that the Museum serves through its educational programs every year.
Bid online for your chance to take home artworks by historical artists like Jessie Arms Botke, Cornelis Botke and Douglas Shively, and contemporary pieces by some of this region’s most popular artists: Linda Brown, Norman Kirk, Sherry Loehr, Susan Petty, Gail Pidduck, Anette Power, and more. Individuals must preregister to bid online at www.bidsquare.com/auction-house/santa-paula-art-museum.
Art lovers can also purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win one of two paintings by historic Santa Paula artist Jessie Arms Botke. Raffle tickets start at $50.00. Raffle tickets can be purchased online at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org/raffle. All of the auction items can be previewed in person during the Museum’s regular business hours.
“Untitled (Ventura Beach)” by Jessie Arms Botke, Watercolor on paper, 8.5 x 12 inches
The Santa Paula Art Museum is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All proceeds from the online auction will support the Museum’s many educational programs including its free ArtSPARK school tour program, monthly Free Family Days, free Young Artist Program, free online resources for local schools, and more.
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This global exhibition represents marine art selected by the American Society of Marine Artists; the Australian Society of Marine Artists; the Canadian Society of Marine Artists; the French Association des Peintres Officiels de la Marine; and the UK’s Royal Society of Marine Artists.
Selected works from the Fellows of the American Society of Marine Artists:
June Carey, Fellow Emeritus – MacKerricher State Park, Mendocino County, CA – Oil on linen -24 H x 48 L
Artist Statement: “This is a scene of MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County, CA. It was a favorite place for my late husband and ASMA Fellow, Dave Thimgan, to photograph great wave action for his paintings while he did research on the historical lumber trade which took place in and around this location. Through the mist in the distance on the right is a bridge that was part of an old lumber road. Dave is standing on it, while surveying the area with his telephoto lens.”
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Peter Egeli, Fellow Emeritus – Oystering in the 1950’s – Oil – 35 x 66
Artist Statement: Skipjacks, bugeyes, schooners and sloops dredging for oysters were a common sight on winter days on Chesapeake Bay until recent decades. The Bay was so fruitful that large schooners from Delaware and New York would also work the oyster beds.
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William Muller, Fellow Emeritus – Albany, 1900 – Oil on canvas – 24 H x 36 L
Artist Statement: The Day Line steamer Albany makes a morning departure from her namesake city, at the start of her day’s run down to Manhattan on a June morning in 1900. She is about to pass through the opened Broadway swing bridge. The new State Capitol Building sits atop the Albany hill and the big night boat Adirondack lays at her wharf, in the far-right background, after having arrived from New York City earlier in the morning.
John Stobart, Fellow Emeritus Uploading in Hong Kong, the Dashing Wave – Oil on linen -18 x 24
Artist Statement: Ever since my schoolboy days in Derby, England, I’ve had a fascination for maps of the world and the spread of the British Empire around the globe. Having an opportunity to paint the celebrated clipper ship, Dashing Wave, I felt the fabled port of Hong Kong with its intriguing colorful local craft and surrounding island peaks would be the perfect setting. In this scene the clipper rides at anchor while a Chinese junk, with its familiar fully battened sails, prepares to leave.
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Christopher Blossom, Fellow – Schooner Monitor off Eastern Point – Oil on Linen – 22 x 36 in.
Artist Statement: The Schooner Monitor shoulders the swell aside as she reaches along with the rhythmic heave and rush of the sea alongside. It’s morning as several men on deck overhaul some of their gear. Perhaps the others are grabbing a bite to eat below after the long night. With a full load and a fair wind they made good time the past few days, but it’s always too long when homeward bound. Off the Starboard bow is Eastern Point. With this breeze it won’t take long to be clear, and from there the harbor opens before them and it is only a short run up to Gloucester and home.
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Kent Ullberg, Fellow – Interdependency – bronze – 33″ x 18″ x 11″
Artist Statement: As an art student I became fascinated with the famous Italian renaissance painting ” Vertumnus” by Arcimboldo, a portrait of emperor Rudolf II, created from all forms of vegetables and fruits. In this sculpture I use the same approach to celebrate the interdependency of marine life in an ecosystem at the Texas coast. 46 different species, from microscopic plankton to mammals, come together to create the sculpture of a tarpon (a species itself dependent on several ecosystems). This is also a symbol for interdependency in all nature, where we play a part.
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In Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, pastel artist Vera Kavura can be found painting her favorite subject: flowers, which she describes as “natural, beautiful, and diverse.”
Kavura began drawing as a child and over the years experimented with different techniques until, in 2016, she discovered painting with pastels. “The pastel medium allows me to work quickly and catch all the color nuances,” she says. “A single photo cannot reflect the shine of a flower’s petals; by painting a bouquet with pastel, I’m able to catch changes in the light and shadows, and even the movement of the petals.”
Vera Kavura is on the faculty of Pastel Live, where you can watch her demo!
Her approach to painting flowers is to start right away with color, versus sketching. She then adds details as she paints, a process that allows her to “be constantly in unity with nature.”
Coming this August, Kavura will be leading a painting demonstration during Pastel Live, the global, virtual art conference that includes live chats, happy hours, group discussions with today’s experts, and so much more.
Pastel Live takes place August 19-21, with a Beginner’s Day on August 18. (Book your early bird discount here by August 15 and save up to $300 off the full rate.)
Pastel Floral Paintings by Vera Kavura:
Pastel floral painting by Vera KavuraPastel floral painting by Vera KavuraFloral still life painting by Vera Kavura
Kavura tells us her process begins with the selection of flowers, which she carefully chooses based on their form and color. She paints from a live bouquet using natural light.
“My flowers seem to be very realistic but it is the pastel, the form, and the color, which allows me to create the character and spirit of the flowers,” she says. “To make smile a viewer and feel a sweet mood – this is my mission in the drawing, by means of flashing the real miracle of nature – flowers.”
> Visit EricRhoads.com to learn about more opportunities for artists and art collectors, including retreats, international art trips, art conventions, and more.
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Angela Mia De la Vega
"Bridge of Brotherhood"
Clay for Bronze, 53" x 62" x 24"
“Lifting the Sky: Elevating the Works of American Women Artists” continues through August 21, 2021. This online juried show will feature 155 paintings and sculptures by members of American Women Artists (AWA).
“The caliber of work included in this show is astonishing and we are pleased to share it with the public,” said the organizers.
More than 2,200 entries were received from 675 artists, and the resulting exhibition features 155 paintings and sculptures by artists living across the U.S. and Canada.
Megan Seiter “Dolores” Colored Pencil, 20″ x 26″Nancy Bass “At the Museum” (after Mel Bochner) Oil, 36″ x 36″Carmen Drake, “Rusty Enamel and Violets,” 18 x 30 in.Holly Bedrosian “The Influencer” Colored Pencil, 27.5″ x 19.5″
AWA will host a number of virtual events throughout the run of the show, including a painting demonstration with Associate with Distinction Member Valerie Collymore, studio tour with Master-Signature Member Angela Mia De la Vega, and more.
Juror Mary Williams, owner of Mary Williams Fine Arts, Boulder, CO, shared her thoughts: “I’ve judged a lot of shows and hosted many in my gallery and this is one of the strongest shows I’ve seen in my career.”
Works in the show are for sale. Event details and images of all exhibited works will be posted on the AWA website: www.americanwomenartists.org.
AWA has offered encouragement to female artists since it emerged from the Women Artists & the West exhibition series mounted by the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) between 1991 and 1994. Since then, AWA has expanded beyond the Western genre to embrace representational and abstract artists from all regions of the U.S. and Canada.
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