My paintings investigate issues of women, beauty and weight in contemporary American society, using the device of the self-portrait. I choose to use myself as the subject of my prints and paintings for a number of reasons: the model is cheap, available and the right size, of course, but mainly because I find people respond positively and with curiosity at a self-portrait. Viewers tend to dismiss paintings of third parties as too voyeuristic, or unseemly. In order to seduce the viewer into thinking about issues of weight and beauty, I choose to make paintings that are as formally beautiful and accessible as possible: the flies-to-honey approach. I choose to place myself in the composition at strange angles generally considered unflattering, and emphasize value and light patterns across the canvas.