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I try to do a self portrait every year around my birthday (My birthday is in March and you can look back through the archives to see other entries in the series). The project started around an assignment I was given in college to do a self portrait as I was then (20-ish years old) and then another predicting how I thought I’d look at age 60. I turned 60 this year so it’s sort of the completion of the project but I’ve been having a hard time producing the painting.
This painting was not intended to be the official yearly selfie but I offer it now until I get serious about completing the project.
The actual intention of this painting was to paint it over again pushing it as far as I could before I got bored with it. I repainted over the same canvas over the course of 6 days and this is where it ended up. Below are photos of the canvas at the end of each session
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… Click on each thumbnail for a larger view
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Bill Sharp - paintings blog 
Bill, you do with paint what I aspire to. Fear stops me at some point but I am getting closer every time I think of your technique. Great stuff!
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Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
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Quite a challenge Bill and I imagine more so the older you get. I’d imagine the young person perhaps looks at the outward self and the technicality of the painting but the older person must make more of the process of looking at the inner self and the emotional aspects of being an artist. I thought I would do a self-portrait for a course I’m doing as willing subjects to sit for portraits are few – but when I thought about actually doing it a bit longer – the idea seemed quite confronting. Perhaps like you I should try it as an annual challenge. If this painting is just a test run then the final is going to be fairly amazing.
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David, Thank you so much for your beautiful comment. Coming from an accomplished painter, like yourself, it means even more to me.
Chas, I don’t know what it says about me but I do a lot of self portraiture. This project has been one that I looked forward to every year but, now that I’m at the 60 year mark, I’m finding it difficult to complete. Although I’m sure I’ll do more self portraits, it seems to me that this one needs to be special and really sum up what I’ve done til now.
Thanks everyone for your comments, re-blogs and likes.
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