Self-Portrait (Study)

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started this watercolor study of myself. My wife and I had been in a local corn field this fall on one of the most beautiful days of the season, when we took some photographs. 

This is a study for a larger painting I intend to do with a horizontal format. I have even considered doing a vignette, which is a picture with soft edges or an incomplete background. A vignette draws the eye to a focal point, such as a face with detail or an object worked on to a more complete state. 

I do not know how you can paint a self-portrait without referring to a photograph. It is interesting how we see ourselves in two dimensions yet exist in three dimensions. The self-portrait is a staple for artists, yet I find it a strange experience to be so focused on my own physical form.

What appeals to me are the colors of my skin in contrast with the blue of my shirt and the sky. I also like the shadows that cross my face, arms, and upper torso. 

One of the dilemma's in doing a portrait is what to include as well as what not to include. Should I include the hands or should it be a shoulder and head shot? How many cornstalks and where should they be located? 

Positioning the face on the paper is exciting, but how big shall I make it? I find it necessary to make the head no bigger than life size. I don't wish to exaggerate my flaws, but neither do I want to seem arrogant by making myself larger than life.