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The Power of the Self-Portrait
My art tends to go through phases.
I’ve been through a pencil stage, a watercolor stage, an I-only-draw-dogs stage, and most notably, a Frida Kahlo stage. Ever since I discovered her work at sixteen, I’ve been a fan.
Frida isn’t the first artist I’ve been enamored with, but she’s the first one I’ve ever felt a personal connection with. Our life stories, while wildly different, share one thing in common: chronic pain.
Not only was Frida diagnosed with polio as a child, but a terrible bus accident at the age of nineteen left her with a myriad of serious injuries and lifetime pain. I’ve personally dealt with chronic pain since the age of twelve as the result of a birth defect and eight different surgeries.
Not only was Frida’s situation more traumatic, but she also had the courage to do the one thing I couldn’t: channel her pain into art. While she painted her agony in shades of yellow, blue, and red, I spent several years walking a tightrope between depression and acceptance.
Once I discovered Frida’s own portfolio of self-portraits, I felt inspired to do the same. Although I’d drawn portraits of other people before, I’d never drawn myself. I didn’t know what to expect from the process — but I…
