I have always considered my art to be self reflective. But this piece is my first venture into such a direct approach to self portraiture. This was inspired by the amazing portraits created by Chuck Close. I admire his grid-based approach to exploring color and scale in creating an image. My image is based on a shot I snapped of myself with a cell phone. Given my history, the choice of sequins as the medium was only natural. Many sequins used here are left over from earlier drapeaux pieces (many of the antique sequins coming from the late-lamented sequin room upstairs at General Bead in San Francisco). I wanted each sequin to act as a dot of color in a pointillist manner. So unlike earlier pieces where the sequins were sewn onto banners, here they were glued onto fabric (black crushed velvet of course) which was then applied to a wood panel. This allowed for less overlapping of sequins for more clarity of color, as well as the use of a wider pallet of unexpected textures and colors. As a result, the picture throws light back in strange and unexpected ways (maybe not so inappropriate considering the subject).