As a portrait artist working in the style of contemporary realism, I am very interested in deconstructing the basic assumptions we have about the human face. Portraits are usually highly personal, as their success in the representational manner is so dependent on achieving someone’s unique likeness. However, by cropping the face, the likeness is removed and the paintings become depersonalized. Yet, they are so close up that they are almost invasive - prying at the viewer, and in the case of the eyes - peering into their consciousness. All done with a mirror as reference, these disembodied self-portraits call into question how many versions of oneself can be presented.