Self Work is a series of mixed-media paintings by JFeelgood — acrylic on canvas and wood panel, sealed under epoxy resin. Eight of them are Minicuration limited editions. What follows is the series in the artist’s own words.
Vanity
The King
Pride
Lush
Businessman
Best Friend
Vicarious
PermissionThe “Self Work” series is a collection of introspective mixed media pieces that delve into the complexities of identity, healing, and transformation. Each painting is a visual acknowledgement of aspects of my ego which I am aware of and patiently assessing.
Truth is pain. Pain is growth. Growth is character.
“In 2019, I changed my life forever. I decided to become sober from an entire way of living, thinking, and numbing. This series sits at the crossroads of that decision and everything it demanded from me.”
“Much like painting is an artful process, so is the life experience. These works became a mirror for the inner monster, the friend in the shadows, and the permissions I grant myself.”
“These paintings came from a sober look in the mirror and asking myself questions only I could think to ask, and answering with paint when words weren’t enough.”
The paintings
Each card carries the artist’s statement for its painting on the back. These are the lines at the heart of each one.
Vanity
When I am selective in hearing, I feed the monster only what it wants to hear, instead of being open to opportunities for growth.
The King
In being too bossy or vindictive, I lose sight of purpose and push others away due to uncouth behavior.
Pride
Work, no matter the urgency or size, has purpose. If I do not enjoy it, then the effort means nothing and I miss out on life.
Lush
Without them, I am the blank canvas… open to new ideas, new feelings, a new me.
Businessman
Alignment solely with wealth building and material systems keeps my emotional and spiritual growth inhibited.
Best Friend
Vulnerability is the precursor to authenticity. I grow bigger than my fears because I have them.
Vicarious
Living in the throes of imagination, I am aged by experiences of a thousand lifetimes, at the cost of growing closer to real people.
Permission
Brilliant and mighty power. Sometimes, I seek it from others long before I consider it coming from myself.
Where the series has been shown
Self Work has been exhibited in Marfa, Texas, during Chinati Weekend, and in Austin at Central Machine Works on E.A.S.T., the East Austin Studio Tour.
The written companion
“The Book of Shadow Work is the written companion to that same process.” It is part story, part mirror and part workbook: art, questions and practices for inner excavation. The Book of Shadow Work on Amazon ↗
Collecting Self Work
Each of the eight paintings is a limited edition of 50 numbered cards. The edition number is printed on the back beside the artist’s statement, and every card ships sealed in a magnetic acrylic case with a display stand. When a design’s 50 are gone, it is never reprinted. For how the limited editions differ from the unlimited cards, see Limited Edition or Unlimited?