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David Cobley

a seated self-portrait looking down with studio light in the background and shadow on the wall

SELF PORTRAITS

the man in the mirror

I have probably spent far too much time trying to understand myself and what makes me tick, but then, as Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living. Sometimes it's just nice to have a sitter who doesn't mind how I portray them and who welcomes the opportunity to be painted in whatever way I choose.

self-portrait of David Cobley in a hoody, lit from the right

seated self-portrait looking down with studio light in background and shadow on the wall

self-portrait of David Cobley open mouthed, lit from below

self-portrait in pencil

A swimming pool in Southern California on a sunny day, with green hills in the mid-distance. Man in red swimming trunks stands on the right, looking at a female figure in the the water. A Mexican in a straw hat is working on the garden to their left.

81 self-portrait faces painted in the style of other artists in a 9 x 9 grid

a painterly self-portrait head strongly lit from both sides, depicted in purples and yellows

an unfinished half-length self-portrait painted when David Cobley was 18 years old

a detailed self-portrait head with a strip light above

a painterly self-portrait head lit from both sides

self-portrait with mask in each hand, one comedy, the other tragedy, lit from below

a self-portrait of the artist looking down at the viewer, his right hand on his face, his left hand resting on a chair arm

a self-portrait in pastels wearing round glasses and a Levi jacket against a green background

six self-portraits, three contained in a circular mirror with red frame, a larger one behind, one on the desk and another one in monochrome on the wall

a painting of the artist depicted from behind, holding a very large blue palette and brush, painting himself and a mass of people doing many different things, including fighting

a pastel drawing on black paper of a brush washer and a little mirror that reflects a bespectacled left eye

a self-portrait painted in a pixelated way, with a barcode replacing the artist's facial features

a semi-comical self-portrait in which the artist portrays himself as a madman with unkempt hair and carzy expression

a panorama of a studio setting, the composition divided into vertical sections of subtle greens and oranges, with the artist looking out at the viewer, hand on a knee

a pastel self-portrait with glasses that reflect the light from the windows, portrayed in a dirty little mirror resting on an easel

a self-portrait wearing a baseball cap, strongly lit from left and right

an unfinished self-portrait painted on a red background, the unclothed artist looking at himself in a bathroom mirror, razor in hand

a serious-looking David Cobley painted in oils, with smiley eyes and a smile drawn in magic marker over it

a serious self-portrait painted in black and muted colours, looking down at the viewer

a close-up self portrait of the face and right hand, cropped square

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