Jim Singelis: Burning From Within

Jim Singelis describes his images as self-portraits without a mirror, and the complex emotions they
represent do embody a singular and personal intensity. The series actually began with one clear and
literal self-likeness, and he starts each new painting or drawing by sketching his own reflection. But
from there he improvises, and while he observes and reacts the image takes on its own personality,
going through many changes, sometimes alternating between male and female or even becoming another species before reaching its final form. Marks documenting the process remain visible; the multilayered, extensively worked surface creates both background and context. The portraits represent
not only himself, but also individual characters who have an inner life and relationships of their own
in a world whose population continues to expand. He also intends them as self-portraits of a kind for
those who look at them, mirrors of emotional states and conditions they know and relate to through
the lens of their own experience. Titles are purposely left vague, allowing observers to contribute the
narrative or interpret the content for themselves.