Katie Frazee
Self portrait
Oil on canvas

I’ve used quarantine to begin a three-piece 24 x 30-inch self-portrait, oil painting series. I felt focused on finding the things in my life which bring me joy, not only due to the pandemic but also due to an end of a year-long relationship, in which I realized I had forgotten a part of my own identity. Taking a break from my mixed media series on adolescence, where I was investigating negative space and happiness that comes with youth, I’m making this piece as an ode to self-love. As I painted it, I felt I had rediscovered my ambition in art and independence in making something for myself. I took inspiration from impressionists such as Edgar Degas, stepping away from realism, while discovering my personal style.