I did this self-portrait on a 2 inch by 4 inch ipod touch screen with my finger! Technology is amazing. I decided to try out a free art app after listening to David Hockney describe how he began drawing on his iphone and is now creating all kinds of artwork with his ipad. There's much to learn on using this and of course, the free app has its limitations. There must be tools to use other than your blunt fingertip?
This self-portrait looks more like my sister than myself - but it is a curious process producing a self-portrait. You look both analytically and subjectively at your subject/yourself. It calls for both turning inward and taking a stance apart from self - introspection and inspection. There are so many reasons for an artist to turn to self-portraiture - not the least of which is that you always have a ready subject at hand. But it also turns out to be an exercise in self-reflexivity. Who is this face that I turn out to the world? What does it say? What doesn't it say about who I am? One can choose to brutally expose one's physical and/or psychological flaws or (as I did in this one) soften and blur one's flaws.
I'm reading a wonderful book on research by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot and Jessica Hoffman Davis called the Art and Science of Portraiture (link to Harvard article on the methodology). It makes a compelling case, that of course resonates deeply with me, for marrying art and science in social science inquiry. Much of what the authors write is not new to social science research and can be found in qualitative research such as participatory action research, community action research and grounded theory. But the nuances of this approach such as attending to the aesthetic of the narrative and the science, including telling the "good" story or focusing on wellness rather than pathology intrigues me.
I am in the final third of my last class before beginning my Masters thesis. It is time to begin solidifying my ideas, the method and drawing up a detailed plan for ethical review. So many ideas are swimming around yet. One that remains at the fore is using self-portrait exercises with my participants as a method of self-inquiry.
