Unfinished
by Russell Dupont
Somewhere along the way, maybe it was Henry Schwartz who told me, “an artist’s cheapest model is himself”. Over the years, I’ve made dozens of self-portraits — “Post Game”, sweaty, my face covered with dirt — “Artist at His Easel” — sketches titled “Me” — and as the years pass, the images grow darker, more intense — one, a pastel, is titled ”Psychological Self-Portrait” showing a troubled, serious self staring off into space.
My latest, still untitled and started a few years ago, sits on a stand, unfinished. A few colors are dabbed in. Two doorways, dark and without detail lead to nowhere. In the center, I sit, my roughed-in outline slumped on a penciled couch.
But, even lacking detail, the painting speaks to me, cautions, suggests that, like my life, this portrait is not yet ready to be finished.
Russell Dupont is the author of three novels; a short story collection; two collections of poetry and four chapbooks. His work has been published in numerous journals, including the albatross, Spectrum, The I, For Poets Only, The Anthology of South Shore Poets, Mozaic Daily Jazz Gazette, Re-Side, Oddball, JerryJazzMusician, Adelaide Literary Magazine, Rye Whiskey Review, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, the new post-literate, DADAKU, One Sentence, the Northern New England Review, Verse-Virtual, The Lothlorien Review, Pick-Me-Up Poetry, Silver Birch Press, The Poetry Porch 2024, Tell-Tale Inklings, Concrete Formalist Poetry and Cold Moon Journal. He is also an artist whose works are in both public and private collections. More of his work can be found at amazon.com/author/russelldupont.
Self Portrait on Couch, acrylic, 10 1/2 x 14 inches, 2022. Click image to enlarge.