Self-portraits

Working with Photoshop has had its challenges; add to the mix my clumsiness on a Macintosh, my learning curve and frustrations have been great. As I progressed on this project, however, I did gain confidence and know-how with the tools and functionality. Using a mix of personal photographs and Internet images, I used the layer tool to keep my images separate for editing. The most common practice utility was the quick select tool; as well as, lasso for subtractive purposes. Other tools frequently used were opacity reduction, stamp tool and zoom. I still lack knowledge of how to create all the possible effects but trust those will come, at least in part. Time consumption was greatest in finding images that were applicable and cleaning up the orphaned pixels. I am certain there are shortcuts for the latter and look forward to learning them.

As far as conceptual identities, like the technical aspect, I started small and worked up. My initial completed projects were more surface with reference to my ancestry and comedy. For some of my later pieces I dove deeper, and while some might appear cliché, felt them good expressions of current place. The crème de la crème (final piece) is poking fun of the works that rest before it. There is an acknowledgment that while my expressions of current place may in some instances seem bleak (and probably exaggerated), I myself stand in my own way but I also try to keep a humor about it.