Self portrait 2015

Painting a self portrait is one of the most interesting investigations a painter can do. It's been 9 years since I last painted one, and I was getting a little curious about that mirror thing.

And because the serpent has a rather bad reputation from Genesis and the Harry Potter books, I feel like I must defend it a little here :). The serpent is a very old and widespread mythological symbol, representing amongst many things the force of life, death and rebirth, healing powers - and signifies the umbilical cord between humans and mother earth. The serpent is associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankind. I think it's only scary to people who deny their own nature. Those who know how to make use of it, understand how beautiful and powerful this essence is. It was also a royal symbol of the Pharoes in ancient Egypt.