My most recent drawings are composites of daily drawings of myself from a mirror. Small, quick studies, done in the sketchbook, are the result of observation and improvisation. Using a staple of beginning drawing techniques, the blind contour drawing, I typically look very briefly, or not at all, at the page as I draw. There is no expectation, adjustment, or perfecting.
Eventually, more refined drawings are created by intentional accumulations of the sketchbook snippets. These composite self-portraits are more labor-intensive, allowing time to reflect on process, the passing of time, and the nature of self-portraits. I want each subsequent drawing to get both weirder and prettier with the figure embracing a tension between hesitancy and tenacity.
A nebulous likeness leaves room for you to see yourself. Your younger self your future self. A mother and her child. A sister and her brother. They are all there, waiting to remind each other that everything is going to be okay.