Self Portrait by Jonathan Thunder
Acrylic on Canvas 24" X 36"
Artist Statement: " As I created this self-portrait I considered how much my father had become part of me, how much I aspired to be like him, and how much of him I had to decide wouldn't be my own path. He is a Vietnam Veteran and I remember the pistol in the house growing up. I remember teachings that would protect me in the face of a world that would take advantage of me and hurt me if I were naive and weak. As I started to form my own identity through education, experiences and spirituality, I remember that the person in the old mirror will always reflects little in the new mirror. My father gave me an edge, like the edge of a Marine's sword, but he also taught me to use it only to become my own man."
