Self-Portrait with Fawn

From time to time I paint a self-portrait. Honestly, I'm not a fan of what I come up with most the time. My goal was to create a self-portrait I actually like. It's awkward to see my own face painted, but overall I succeeded--I don't hate this one. The past year has been the happiest of my life, so I wanted that to reflect in the work. I appear happy and I included a lot of symbolism to illustrate the exciting changes in my life.

The iris stands for hope and faith. The deer is my spirit animal. The bowl of citrus fruit represents cleansing and new beginnings. I added feathers that are inspired by native Americans to symbolism bravery because I've overcome so many hardships. There is a tiny seahorse in the painting that means friendship. I've been able to heal from all my loss and let people back into my life.