private view - a collection of self portraits
I greatly admire both Inuit and Australian Aboriginal art where it is very rare to find a self-portrait in the conventional sense. In both cultures the well being of the inner self and the inner spirit is deemed far more important than the outer shell/skin, and in turn its accurate image or depiction. The individual is much more likely to be represented by a symbol or mark associated to that particular person.
In the case of the Aboriginal, hand prints and hand shadows (made by using the actual hand as a stencil) are used to mark their spirit for a 'moment' to the wall of the sacred site, beside the marks of their ancestor;. These are in effect self-portraits.
I tried to put more of my 'self into my portrait than I ever could have, drawing from a flat two dimensional mirror.
The Fish mask is a personal motif betraying a man obsessed with Troot, Haddocks and the like. It is the 'me' in my self portrait, reflecting a state of mind. So not only do I end up with my own personal symbol you also get my favourite animals and city, as well as my shoe size, and enough finger prints to put me away for life.