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This image is a self portrait of the artist. The artist is pale with hair pulled back and slightly facing upwards with the eyes upon the viewer. The portrait is from the bottom of the neck up and takes up most of the canvas. The canvas is 5 planes of wood each about 4 inches high and 16 inches wide. There is thick pink paint trailing up the neck of the artist. The background consists of a light blue thick paint covering slight shades of light pink and dark red. The figure appears with glassy dark eyes and slightly pursed lips and gazes through the viewer. The pink paint on the neck is thick and travels up the neck and stops on the jawline.

Self Portrait (2021)

Aria Deason

Acrylic and Pencil on Wood

Undergraduate
This is the first piece in a planned lifelong series of creating a self-portrait every year to represent my current emotional state and appearance. These pieces are planned to act as an ever-evolving diary and also to fight against the lack of trans experiences being presented in fine art. This work in particular is a reflection of the societal pressure on trans women to present as feminine in order to be safe. I depicted myself as somber and sullen, consumed by a chaotic eruption of pink paint trailing up my neck as a representation of a choking feeling. I over-emphasized the tones of pink in my face and contrasted myself against an ocean of caked blue paint to showcase the trans-female experience. I used thick layers of paint and the wood paneling gaps to create a sense of disconnection and uncertainty.