Katherine Rogerson Moore.
Self Portrait in Coffee Stains and Second Hand Ink.
Pencil, Watercolor, Transferred Newspaper Ink, and Coffee on Paper.
11x14in.
As both the artist and the subject of this work, I am presenting myself to the viewer in an exposed, vulnerable state -- clear of make-up or clothing, merely half-formed, with a blank stare inviting the viewer to decide what he wants of me. The figure is not fully defined, and it is as if the fading text around it is what is bringing the figure into focus. The clearer the figure becomes, the less the surrounding words matter. In the title the terms ‘secondhand’ and ‘stain’ bring negative connotations to mind. Secondhand suggests outgrowth after endured use. A stain is a blemish, a defect that detracts from the perfection or wholeness of a thing. In her gaze, the figure is open, inviting the viewer in to make judgements: Here I am, coffee-stained and secondhand, acquired after being used by another, held together by the air around me, air that has been stained and that has lost its luster over time. These borrowed words are all that hold me together. They run around and through me, and though my skin will appear clear, my eyes cannot lie. Look into them and see the remnants of the ink that created me.
