Spatially distorted self-portraits like this and others were made while I drank beer in a variety of bars in Toronto. To make the image I sat at the bar and looked at my distorted reflection in the chrome of the beer taps. You might notice the curvature of these is quite thinning which I don’t mind. What I really like about most of them is how they stretch out my fingers and the beer I drank making them.

ink on paper

6x8 inches

The bright colors are another element of these self-portraits that I like. Naming these pieces is another fun exercise: invoking the meaning of the image into words. I look present in the image and so that’s what it’s called. I don’t always nail it.

ink on paper

6x8 inches

See: this guy (me) is thinking “okay then”. This piece is sort of semi-pointillist I guess, more cross hatching I guess. It’s well balanced.

ink on paper

6x9 inches

Beside the crooked nose, I’m not sure how much this looks like me. But I definitely identify with the sentiment he expresses.

ink on paper

6x9 inches

I create acrylic on canvas about as often as I wear a mustache. When I do I prefer a palette knife (not for my mustache). This one turned out eventually and it’s hanging in my parents house.

acrylic on canvas

16x20 inches

I’ve only actually personally framed one self-portrait and this is it. The frame is old, recovered wood and it looks great. I framed it because this is what I look like. The title is a little weak so I’ll think about a new one maybe.

ink on paper

6x9 inches

Even rarer for me than acrylic on canvas is oil on canvas board. It’s good and I like it. I just don’t really know how to use the medium so, you know, I will work on that more eventually.

oil on canvas board

9x12 inches

Surely today most of us can understand the need to interrogate the things we see. I have made this my profile image at times when I am angry and disgusted at what I see in the world. I am not blinking motherfucker. Also, I made this with a with calligraphy nib which suits my hand and looks great.

ink on paper

5.5x8.5 inches

This bent reflection is from the Queen’s Legs pub. There is quite a bit of detail in it if you look closely.

ink on paper

4x6 inches

If you go sit at the bar across from the left side of the mirror at Clinton’s you can make your own image of yourself surrounded by many bottles of various alcohol (not shown: the beer I was drinking). The composition of this piece rules. I authorize you to make what judgments of me that you will.

ink on paper

7x11 inches

I appear to be having some misgivings in this piece. I may simply be bored by the sports-match on the big screen tv.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

It is natural that my face would look curious as I observe. Again with the giant hand and belly shrinking. I like the blank page acting as a Matisse-like splash of something different.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

I like how my head is turned, conveying suspicion. I definitely sit like that and it’s interesting to draw. I prefer the between the toe flip flops these days.

ink on paper

9x12 inches

I was backlit for this image and so the shadows fall where they normally don’t and that is interesting. I think the expression on my face pretty accurately conveys how I am slightly apologetically condescending when I choose to assert command.

ink on paper

18x24 inches

This one isn’t my best but other people have said, unprompted, that they like it. I use some silver acrylic ink in this piece that is hard to show in a photograph but it’s nice stuff and makes for a cool effect.

ink on paper

18x24 inches

Very stoner looking guy here.

ink and pastel on paper

12x12 inches

A pretty good attempt for a medium I’m medium at best at. Again, being backlit puts the shadows in interesting places. I got a bit lazy on the backdop -there isn’t enough connection between it and me. There’s something unwavering about my eyes though, they look back at you.

acrylic on canvas paper

12x16 inches

Again with the mustache eh. A pretty sketchy piece. I did the Magritte thing where the painting is in the painting though, so there’s that.

acrylic on canvas paper

12x16 inches

I should try more of these backlit pieces. It’s not great but the shadow makes it interesting. Thankfully my eyes are more symmetrical than portrayed

ink on paper

11x15 inches

Mangled indeed.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

This looks nothing like me but I was looking at myself when I made it so it’s me. Some strong side-eye going on.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

I look like a dipshit who’s been taken advantage of in this sketch. I’ll be fine though so don’t worry about me.

ink on papaer

11x15 inches

This piece is strong and balanced. I probably imagine myself this way more than I am actually this way. I certainly seem to know something.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

This piece is also in the pointillism page. They aren’t points but are instead repeated boomerangs. The boomerangs create an anger in my face and posture. The piece is nicely balanced and quite present and unapologetic.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

The flow of this piece is good and reminds me a little of van Gogh. It doesn’t look like me but whatever.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

This piece is simple and strong.

ink on paper

9x12 inches

This is what I imagine I look like when someone asks if I do hard drugs. That’s a no for me dog. I’ve had some fun but…I’m good.

ink on paper

11x15 inches

I really like this piece. It’s hard to photograph. I didn’t balance the tonal depths like I do most other pieces and that is fine. It makes my signature stand out more than usual and that, too, is fine.

ink on paper

9x12 inches

This is one of, if not the earliest pieces using my warped reflection in the chrome of a beer tap. It’s from Scruffy Murphy’s. In my left hand is a small jar of india ink (what a disaster that could have been). Although it doesn’t look like her, that’s Clare my wonderful friend behind me.

ink on paper

5.5x8.5 inches

There’s quite a lot of detail in this and the following set of images. The pieces themselves are small but the reflection I was looking at was minuscule so it’s a bit shocking how much detail I pulled. These pieces are good and I was in a pretty good flow at the time.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

I screwed up the eyes so I made myself a robber or, perhaps, I’m Robin. Makes you think…

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

If you turn it upside down, you can sort of see me drawing the young lady who was the server at the Queen’s Legs at the time.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

So If your head is reflected in a certain part of the chrome it looks really big. My head is not this much bigger than my body. My hands look good and there are a bunch of characters in the background that are interesting. I depicted the server looking at me although she surely wasn’t.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

Bit of a parenthetical but have you ever looked at Roger Federer’s arms? His tennis arm is huge and the other is very not huge. You may not be able to not notice this every time you look at Roger Federer from now on. Anyways, I feel like javelin throwers would also be this asymmetrical.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

I think this is the first one I did at the Queen’s Legs because I drew the beer tap and the stuff behind it as well as the reflection in the chrome and that doesn’t turn out to be necessary.

ink on paper

3.5x5.5 inches

I actually redrew this from the following image which I screwed up. I really like pose and composition. It is a good, strong piece.

ink on paper

4x6 inches

This piece is good but I screwed up the mouth-neck area and so gave myself a bandit mask. This is the only piece that I have re-done. I tend to think that re-doing and mocking-up pieces voids them of their energy. You can compare this to the previous image and see if I’m wrong.

ink on paper

4x6 inches

It is what it is

ink on paper

11x15 inches

Again, this piece doesn’t look like me but I was looking at myself when I drew it so it’s me. The energy in the line strokes is fantastic and free and beautiful.

ink on paper

5.5x8.5 inches

The composition is fine, some parts work but the textures aren’t consistent, the look on my face is vapid but also I spent hours making it so here it is.

ink on paper

11x15 inches