A Self-Portrait, of Sorts…

I wasn’t actually commissioned by Backpacker magazine to do a self-portrait for a feature about park rangers in Yosemite, but it turned out that way, when a buddy of mine was unable to pose for reference.

After I turned in my first version of the piece, I was asked to make him look less beaten-up.

I’ve been spending a lot of time painting lately, and it shows a little in this piece. Painting has helped me to loosen up a lot, and be more expressive and less of a perfectionist. It took me a long time to learn to plan everything out meticulously, but being able to let go has been a welcome change in my process for this piece.