So I decided I would enter some things in competitions this year to try and boost exposure and get some feedback on my work. Jerry's Art-a-rama was looking for self-portraits, so I thought I'd give one a whirl. Since I put off entering the Portrait Society's competition every year, I decided to go for that too. What the heck!
When I was deciding how to approach this painting, I thought I'd use my studio as the background with a variety of still life objects in it from other paintings I've made, but I wasn't really happy with how that was working. I realized that I spend a whole lot more time in my classroom, and that the students I've taught and still teach are a huge part of my life and of my art. The result: my background became the classroom; me at my desk with my cork board and papers pinned up behind me. All these images are a great comfort to me. They moved with me from one Lansdale to Hubert's to help my transition go smoothly, and I still like to look at them and remember everyone they represent - old and new.
My personal favorite is the picture of my mom dancing in her wheelchair at my niece's wedding. It was her last big family event before she got really sick. It's great to think of her having so much fun, and being her silly self. On hard days at work, I use the photos as meditation material. Thoughts of a better day, but mostly they just give me a daily reason to smile.
I submitted the two paintings at the bottom to the Portrait Society contest too. I really enjoyed getting back into portraiture work. If anyone out there is looking for a painting of someone special, let me know. You can contact me here, through my Facebook or at petrobaker@verizon.net
