Finally wrapped up an older painting then started a new self-portrait over the weekend. This one I'm hoping to enter into a portrait competition. It's probably way too soon for me to think about such things, and there's a huge possibility that I won't even place, but I'm going to go for it anyway. Because why not? What the hell else do I have going on? With this project in the mix, it looks like I'll be finishing the year on a strong note.There's definitely a story and emotion behind this piece, and I'll get more into it as I get closer to finishing it. Whenever I do self-portraits there's always a weird struggle through it. I know they're SUPPOSED to look like me, but I always find something off about them no matter how well I do. It's probably not even a big deal and I'm not being self-critical about my skill or my looks, I just think it's strange to be staring at myself on canvas sometimes. Which is probably weird for me to admit since I pull so much from myself in most, if not all, of my personal work and I'm extremely comfortable with doing that.At any rate, I thought it was still worth sharing the latest portrait at this stage since I brought the sketch to a decent stopping point. I have to put it on hold for a little bit so I can get to a smaller piece that I will be putting in a group show next month, so be on the lookout for a post on that too. It seems like there is so much that I have to juggle these days and it's hard to turn down new opportunities to show work and connect with other artists and art lovers. On top of a fluctuating painting schedule, I'm preparing for a mini vacation and a move next month. How I'm going to stay productive through all of that, I'm not really sure...