‘Love Stick’ explores the evolving notion of portraiture in a culture proliferated with cameras. Never before have we had the tools to self-publish our daily minutia and bodies so explicitly. We share so much of ourselves via social media, but how much are selfies used as a device to hide what we are truly experiencing?

Through depicting a figure using a selfie stick, my work takes aim at the selectively curated life. I intended to convey the superficial and dark undertones of the selfie culture – the crafted and masked identity - and invite the viewer to consider the deeper meanings behind why individuals snap and share their selfies online. In effect, the painting is an exploration of the disparity between the authentic and virtual self.