"Self-Portrait in Triplicate"
Digital Photograph
6" X 13"

This is a photograph of myself triplicated, my back is to the viewer and my reflection in the chrome material is distorted, reminiscent of a fun house mirror. The intention of this piece was to present myself in three different aspects: pretty, ugly, and incomplete over three periods of time, simultaneously. The reason why I am facing away from the camera is because I wanted to explore the idea that it is impossible for a self-portrait to truly represent a person in their entirety. As artists, we pick and choose what qualities about ourselves we want to show the world in a self-portrait and must sacrifice and omit things for the sake of unifying the composition or for the sake of satisfying our vanity. I chose to show my face in the fun house reflection because I don't think it is possible for anyone to fully and completely know anyone else, we can only know certain facets or sides of someone, therefore, our impression of someone is always distorted in some way. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of a dark side or a hidden side we never knew existed and find it shocking or bewildering, but even then, one has to wonder what else is lurking beneath the mask. We all wear masks and play different roles in relation to different people: child, sibling, parent, lover, friend, enemy, employee, student, etc. Additionally, as we age we grow and (hopefully) evolve. The personality is not a fixed entity but rather an amorphous, shape-shifting illusion, constantly in flux. So who you were yesterday is not who you are today... and you may be someone new tomorrow. This self-portrait was a vain attempt to address all those things. (Vain! Ha Ha, Get it?Lol...Ok I'll stop now.)