I meant to write a lot today but last night I was seized with a desperate desire to paint figures again — live skin and flesh and form, not magazine photos — so that’s what I did this morning. Having no willing model at hand except myself, and only one well-lit full-length mirror, it was no easy task.
Small me sketching
A couple of hours later I had eleven sketchy self-depictions and a hankering to put them together. I was thinking that a small crowd of me’s, all busily working (and with self-accusing stares), would be an accurate representation of my mindset lately… only I couldn’t figure out an elegant way to collage them (and I should have used the same kind of paper for all the sketches). Another few hours later, I’m left with this awkward Photoshop job and a vague sense of mingled satisfaction and displeasure. Sometime I will figure out just what I want to do with this idea — and how to go about it — and I’ll give it another shot.
Army of me
satsumabug.com | Lisa Hsia 
There’s something very cool about all these yous. I’m looking forward to the next shot.
Thank you, Ré! I have to say, even as I’m dissatisfied, I agree with you… I find something very cool about it (them?) too.
I’ve taped all the separate me’s all over the house. Maybe they will help me think of my future iteration of this project — which is, I suddenly recognize, itself only another version of the painting I wanted to make back in May. I guess I really want to make a piece with a lot of me’s in it. I’ll keep working at it!
What a great idea! And I liked the collage, even if you weren’t totally satisfied with the outcome. But my favorite part is your line about them staring. I wonder if something like this could be a goad to working?
Thank you lots, Lisa! I think there’s something in that too. All these thoughtful versions of myself, staring — what are they trying to say? What do they want me to do?
As I said in my reply to Ré’s comment, I’ve taped them all over the house, though none in my office (one me — the physical me — in here is enough!). There’s one in the hallway, though, that I can see very clearly from where I sit at my computer… and she is one of the most accusing-looking ones (the one that’s highest up in the collage). It’s so funny to sit here with her watching me, thinking…
I agree with Sparks, there’s something very cool about so many yous all together. I love it 🙂
Thank you, Munira! This is obviously something I need to explore in future work. 😉 Just what are all these me’s all about?
cool idea. i lost 40 pounds after surgery and radiation. My body was so unfamiliar to me so I got a stick and some india ink and just kept sketching my new angular body. It was interesting. I sketched the new not yet healthy and strong bent over body but, afterwards I noticed I sketched my boobs the way they were before I lost 40 pounds. I remember my painting teacher in college saying artists paint the model in their own image.
That’s fascinating, Carla! I’ve definitely noticed myself giving models some of my own traits, most often (interestingly enough) my boobs. 🙂 I try to just paint what I see, but somehow a trace of my own form often creeps in.
Lisa, I think you did a great job here. And remember true art is in the process that you experience when creating. It is not about the joy, or the end result that makes art, but the exploration. Every figure you composed was an exploration and definitive in its making.
Thank you, Walter — very very wise words indeed. “True art is in the process that you experience when creating… the exploration.” You’re right, and maybe that’s why I am so interested in always making all these renderings of myself. I’m quite literally trying to see what I look like, figure out what I’m made of, get some kind of understanding and put it all together into something.
Your comment, on self examination is precisely what I was referring to. Everything about our existence is constantly changing; both our internal and external influences and circumstances; the way we perceive things; our hopes and dreams—all are giving birth to new possibilities of self-discovery. Yes, you are trying to “figure out what I’m made of” and going about it (through you drawings and writings) in a way that enriches the lives of others.
Thanks for the discoveries.
Thank you for helping me see what I’m doing. 🙂 Yes! The constant change makes it interesting.
Nice work. Ilike the idea of a collection of me’s . Rather than reiterate the good comments above I would just like to say that what I find refreshing about the way you paint is your freedom with the figure and the way you use blocks of colour with line to create the form. I suppose that an obvious artistic statement but, a good example is your sketch of Erik and Lyapa at the top of the sidebar. Both figures are exquisite yet you use different techniques for both, specifically, Lyapa, which is the perfect combination of line and colour. Well done. 🙂
Thank you much, Alan, for your kind and thoughtful remarks! It’s funny, sometimes I really dislike my habit of relying on line so much — I wish I could just do thick heavy dabs of color. I guess it’s just part of what Twyla Tharp would call my “creative DNA”!
I believe cats in general are the perfect combination of line and color. 😉