Below is another self portrait with an icon I created after my last visit to see Mike*. I superimposed etched lines of the icon onto a light sketch of a self portrait. I painted my portrait and then introduced ink into the scratches.

Self Portrait with Icon #2
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

This doesn’t seem like a double portrait, as the icon blends almost seamlessly with the painted image. The most noticeable element is the eyes. One looks to the left and the other straight ahead. That is an unusual feature of Mike’s face. The beard belongs to me.

The icon representing my brother had its origin in a photo I took during the last visit we had as a family. [Trigger Alert: I was very disappointed and upset by this visit and expressed strong feelings in this post. I meant no disrespect.] I was at Mike’s group home with my mother and younger brother.

On the left side of my post, Superposition, one can see another instance of this icon.

Superposition
12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

The difference between the sketch immediately above and today’s self portrait is the setting of the icon. In the former case, I confront Mike, in the latter, Mike is embedded into my own portrait. This is not necessarily a progression of thinking, as I have often wondered how similar I am to my brother. Our DNA is very close. Why am I not the same as he?

*For those of you just joining me, Mike is my older brother who is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. He currently resides in a geriatric group home.