This was originally a self portrait in oil that I made in 2023 in Denver, CO. I had just moved back from the Bay Area and my life was a bit chaotic and unmanageable. During this time I spent a lot of time with myself-mostly creating. I often painted naked because any clothes I had would get covered in paint and I was sick of not having anything to wear. My naked self portraits symbolize the vulnerable parts of me like hating that I’m messy with paint or bigger themes like wanting to be seen authentically and loved for it.

There are so many exciting things about the experience of painting a nude self portrait. The awkward thrill of exposing a representation of what your physical body looks like unclothed is perceived in so many different ways. All negative and positive presumptions about my intent of showing my naked portraits are correct. I have painted myself naked for many reasons and they all can coexist.