Evolution Of The Self-Portrait

Figurative artist Haley Hasler uses the self-portrait as a vehicle for larger narrative painting.

- Haley Hasler

At my current solo exhibition, on view at Museum of Art Fort Collins, in Colorado, the walls are covered with paintings of one woman, in various guises, poses and narratives. I was asked to speak about the work. It was clear that one question had to be first addressed: why the self-portrait?

I must answer this question for you before I tell you about my technical process, because the why and the how are intrinsically linked. It started with a practical problem:

I needed a model. As an art student 20 years ago, models were expensive, and I found in my always-at-the-ready reflected image a means to taking on the problem I was obsessed with: how to paint a face. This began a 20-year inquiry into the purpose and meaning of the self-portrait in today’s world, with oil paint and brush on canvas.