Sarah Coombes

email: sarahwrightartist@gmail.com instagram: @sarahcoombes

I painted my first ever self-portrait in 2020 and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Each time I paint a self-portrait I notice a new detail or a new expression. Our faces are forever changing when viewed in different lights, angles, moods and even makeup! Painting self-portraits allows me to act out scenes, dress up and really have fun with creating unusual and captivating compositions.

By focusing on myself, I draw from personal experiences to create interesting portraits. This piece, entitled ‘exposed’, was inspired by Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits and her use of medical imagery. I try to paint more than just a pretty portrait of a face, by using interesting compositions and imagery I hope to create something that has a narrative. A narrative is something I strive to create in my work, to look at a painting and see more than just a face or figure, but something that tells a story, something confrontational, or just something that makes you think.

Dissertation Title

How Self-Portraiture has Evolved in the Female Art World