self portraits

Parker, age 4

All of us, no matter whether we are three years old or one hundred and three, are asking directly or peripherally "Who am I?"  The answer to this question continues to evolve with each passing year and rarely approximates the experience of being alive that we all share.  Watching the children explore this question in the studio has been interesting and thus far I would say it has been the dominant thread of these past months.  Whether the children share with me what they like or where they live or how many people are in their family, they are really exploring the evidence of a "self" visible in a subjective world.

Annika, age 3

Observational drawing is such a great tool to get beyond our ideas and concepts and really just explore what is directly in front of us.  Watching the children strain to see the shape of their nose or the curve of a lip, perhaps for the first time, fills me with a sense of wonder.  Their carefully drawn lines communicate what they have seen on a white sheet of paper while their eyes dart from paper to mirror and back again.  I can not express how tender these self portraits are in my eyes.  I hope that you can glimpse this beauty from the few examples offered here. 

Zoe, age 5

Harry, age 4

Oliver, age 5