Artist, Self Portrait 2020

Jammie Holmes made this self-portrait with paint, and a whole lotta soul. Look how the paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's real. It's upfront about being paint, about the act of making. I love how Holmes isn't precious with the surface. There's writing, scribbles, ghosts of other ideas peeking through. It's like a mind map, or a visual diary. His legs and arms are rendered with these gorgeous browns, and those stark white boots pop against the checkerboard floor. That running figure on the sign, right next to Holmes's head, looks like it's trying to escape. The face is so direct, the gaze so steady, it pulls you right in. The halo-like form around the figure is almost architectural, like a chair made of light and air. Holmes reminds me of artists like Bob Thompson, who also mixed figuration with abstraction, and wasn't afraid to be raw and vulnerable. Ultimately, this painting is about seeing and being seen, about the stories we carry within ourselves.