Through the Breaking Glass

About twenty years ago, one of my art professors had us do this exercise. The basic idea was to use a mirror to paint a self-portrait. The twist was that the mirror itself was to be the main focus of the painting, and we were to include the background in both the inside and outside of the mirror.

This was so much more difficult than it sounds. If you moved AT ALL while painting, the mirror image would change. You had to use strategy- paint all of one then all of the other, but note exactly where the mirror needs to be. If you had to leave to get a drink or go to the bathroom, it took several minutes to set everything safely to have confidence you'd be able to resume when you return. It took about four hours to to this painting.

I wasn't just trying to be cute by having the mirror at an angle. It just was more safely wedged on the easel that way. I didn't want to just trust the pegs on the bottom, it was also held up by other notches. How terrible it would be if it shifted, even worse fell to the floor. Twenty years later I'm surprised I didn't tape or glue it to the easel. I just remember how nervous it made me. Breakable things- particularly glass, ceramic, mirrors, etc.- are not generally friends of mine. I will not only break them, but I will injure myself on the results.

This is an interesting method for painting self-portraits. If I ever do it again, I will put effort into making a more interesting background. Imagine how different the painting could be with piles of teddy bears, guns, cats, or candy in the background. Perhaps painting outside and have the mirror be in front of a bunch of trees. The possibilities are endless, and adds a little complexity to self-portraits.