Shattered; a self portrait

[David Dowbyhuz]

I've been trying self-portraits of late. Here's my most recent, an oil on a 22" x 24" stretched canvas. You may notice, I work my paint very thin. The detail below is four layers of pigment.

Rgds,
Dave

[Laura B. Shelley]

Looking at this I sense a lot of tension: strong emotions held in tight check in spite of the broken barrier between the subject and the viewer. Not a comfortable image, but a powerful one. Those acid greens put the idea over very well, IMO.

Laura Shelley

[David Dowbyhuz]

Thanks, Laura. I rarely travel anywhere without my pocket Nikon digi-camera. While on a walk back in October my wife and I came upon a vandalized bus-stop outside the local high school. We're lucky enough to have a very peace-able neighborhood, with low incidents of such wanton destruction, so this caught my attention. The old far too easy to destroy than create quotient I suppose.

In any event, while mentally shaking my head amidst the strong autumn sun my wife took my photo from the opposing side. I felt, like you, that there was a certain (not necessarily intended) intensity to the moment. When viewing the image for the first time I remarked to my wife "What a scowly expression!". She came back with, "You do that all the time!".

Thanks for looking in,
Dave

[Sharon Knettell]

This is a dramatic and unusual self portrait,utilizing the shattered window as an uncoventional framing motif.

[Chris Saper]

David,

I like this piece. So very original!

[David Dowbyhuz]

Thank you Sharon & Chris. Your words are appreciated!

Regards,
Dave

[Linda Brandon]

Hi David,

This painting reminds me why I like artist self-portraits so much - there's a freedom to "get intense" which we don't necessarily have with other subjects. Well done on this one! I agree with what Laura said - those acid greens really help with the feel of this piece.

[Jimmie Arroyo]

David, I really like this on two levels. The traditional sense of a portrait, but contemporary, and the fantastic level. The chances of finding broken glass in such a perfect pattern for composition seems impossible, or at least something you could'nt set up even if you tried.

If you happened to find it this way, then it feels like it puts you in a different space and time. If you created it and used license for composition sake, it still works. Great job.

[David Dowbyhuz]

Originally Posted by Jimmie Arroyo

If you happened to find it this way, then it feels like it puts you in a different space and time. If you created it and used license for composition sake, it still works. Great job.

Thanks so much, Jimmie. It's especially heartening to receive the notice of artists I admire & respect. (And I mean you all. )

I took no license at all with the "shatter pattern" of the glass. This was the way I found it. I was going to try and knock out one small chunk to "even it out" and my wife shouted "Don't touch it! It'll all come down." So I left be and she took the shot. Serendipity.

Regards,
Dave