“What I think is really strong about self-portraits is the eye contact,” says League alumna Naomi Lee Baumol, the artist behind this series of 9×12 graphite pieces.β
“I did these while looking at a mirror, wondering how far I could tilt my head and still keep eye contact. That is sort of why they look distorted, because of the physical challenge,” she continues. “At the beginning of the pandemic, I really couldn’t do anything. That’s why I started these; because I had to give myself homework, and it was an easy way to get started. I had a mirror, paper and a pencil.”β
β Naomi studied at the League for over half a decade with a variety of instructors including Costa Vavagiakis and Michael Grimaldi.
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“The wonderful thing about the League is that it lets you self-direct your own fine arts education. I used to run into problems while drawing that made me feel like I needed to be rescued. Now I don’t feel as limited. I can rescue myself. I can pull myself through.”β