Frida Kahlo famously said, "I paint myself because I am the subject I know best." This rings true to the extent that we are all in varying degrees indulgent and self-consumed. Presumably, we know more about our "selves" than any other thing. Self-portraits trace those tendancies but are also part of a larger idea that permeates all painting...a search for self, of who we are and of our place in the world.
When planes crashed into buildings on a beautiful September morning, and wars began, it became increasingly difficult to focus my paintings primarily on self-portraiture. I began to turn outward...to politics, nature, and the events of the day. We live in fragile and challenging times that require hope and humor as antedotes. I tend to incorporate color and "pop" into even the most dire of situations. Surely, even Kim Jong Il wakes up and wonders what to have for breakfast before he gets to the business of ruining people's lives.
"Kim Jong iL Thinking About Cocoa Puffs"- Liz Schulze© |
