Self-Portrait (Striped Shirt)

Based in New York City, Mary Beth McKenzie paints from everyday life, combining her impressions of her subject with a concern for the formal aspects of pictorial construction. Her penchant for painterly realism is apparent in this simple, but evocative self-portrait from 2016, the year the artist turned 70 years old. Though the painting aptly conveys aspects of the artist's demeanor, mood, and physical characteristics, it can also be considered a performative exercise in the handling of color, form, and light. Detail is omitted in favor of conveying basic truths about the sitter, in this case the artist herself.