Sitting in Seiza

It's worth noting that this piece is quite large, 6' X 5'. This was an early attempt to use cut paper to support my quirky contour line drawings with flat areas of collor. I took a 10-15 year break after this and turned out to be much better at it when I took it up again. More recent examples of self-portraits done this way can be seen by clicking on the Media: Cut Paper link below the detail picture.

Facial Mask on Metal in Oil

I'm guessing about the date, although I clearly remember making it, it was definitely early on at the 32nd St. studio. I was still struggling to make the transition from drawing (press harder or make more marks to make a darker or thicker mark) to painting (mix a new color to make a darker mark, use a bigger brush to make a thicker mark.) They really are very different processes but I haven't thought about it explicitly in a long time. Now (2007), I just switch back and forth without even thinking about it much.