On April 11, 2025 I was diagnosed with Grade II Astrocytoma IDH Mutant, a cancerous brain tumor. I was given a craniotomy to remove part of the tumor on April 22, 2025. The surgery left me with left-side hemiparesis, which persists and has disabled me, primarily impacting my mobility and necessitating use of a brace and cane to walk. During my recovery I have documented my journey on Instagram through a series of digital photo self-portraits. In November of 2025 I decided to engage a daily practice in order to teach myself oil painting and portraiture. Each day I produce a self-portrait; a single sitting alla prima oil painting, progress on a more detailed oil painting, or a photograph or digital collage.

I view the self-portrait as a vessel to navigate and map the emotional landscape of my own experience as a cancer patient, a disabled person, and an artist facing mortality in a much more tangible way than ever before in my life. I hope that these portraits will connect with viewers and patrons on a visceral, emotional level as I grapple with my own vanity and destiny in publishing each painting no matter how I personally view the final aesthetic outcome. My experience of mortality, cancer and disability has proven to be a Strange Mercy, as I now see my life in a different, often shifting, light – some days beautiful and fleeting and fully embraced, others dimly lit and muted even as I lash out at my fate in vivid raw emotion.

Once a painting is finished, it is displayed here. If you wish to follow my journey day to day, including in-progress works and process insights, please join me on Instagram @portraitsofmyself