The Self-Isolation Residency 29th April 2020: Day 31

'Desiderata' (things desired) Self portrait, oil paint on board, 2020, Antony Clarkson.

I'm approaching tonight's post as though the painting is finished, indeed it more or less is, perhaps? I have altered just a few small areas since I last posted an image of it; that's actually the main reason for posting this as it is a much more accurate image of the painting than I've been able to post recently as much of the oil is now drying so there is less sheen on the surface .

There is one area that I am thinking I could be slightly more precise in, not in the way that it is painted, but in the information contained within the detail.  I'm not going say exactly what I'm referring to, but I will give an example of the kind of precision  that I mean.  If yo know what you are looking at and looking for there is something in that painting to tell you exactly what my favorite movie is. Again, I'm not going to disclose anymore than that. But because I have included this level of detail in some areas I do wonder if I should try to include more information in other areas. It is a fine balancing act, I want the information to be included and not just in a general way, in a very specific way. The kind of more traditional portrait that this takes as its starting point would usually just have included general details, books to show that the sitter could read for instance, but for this 21st century twist on the idea I'd like to take it further.  I'd like to be able to pass as much information through the painting as possible but at the same time I don't want it to end up feeling like some kind of frantic Where's Wally illustration.

However there is something else that should be born in mind in regards to this, jus because the painting appears to be nearing completion does not for one minute mean that the project necessarily is. The Residency certainly is far from ending yet. Not that the two things are totally connected; the residency will last for as long as I am here and as long as we are all in self isolation. And I do intend that the work made during this time should relate to that. That being said the self portrait idea is just the first phase of the residency and this painting could well be just the first phase of the self portrait project.