"You use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul." -George Bernard Shaw

All art is autobiographical. An artist cannot help but reflect themselves in their work. Maybe this portrait of a wandering ascetic is more aspirational for me than representational. 

Maybe one day, like this man, I will have the strength to move through the world emotionally naked, unafraid, and unguarded. 

Maybe one day, like this man, I can let go of wanting what I know I can never get from outside myself. 

Maybe one day, like this man, I can be detached yet fully present. 

Maybe one day, I can answer the question his gaze asks of me, “Can you see the shackles that bind you?” 

Maybe one day, I can see through the illusion.

Maybe one day.

“Seeing Through the Illusion”: Portrait of an ascetic

Original source image by The Silent Nomad

16x20 in | 41x51 cm

oil on linen board (framed)

$1,000