Montreal Self-Portrait, 17" x 12", acrylic on paper, 1993. Artist's collection.

This portrait was made in Montreal at the time of Saint Helices version 48. I had been creating abstract work for a number of years and wanted to paint something from life for a change. The image is simply a straight forward attempt to paint my image from a small mirror. My intense, or, stern expression in this portrait is not an affectation--this is what I look like when I am working on a painting. My former mother-in-law after seeing this portrait for the first time said, "It's very good, but you should be smiling." I always smile when I remember her saying that.