Surrealism Self Portrait

This self-portrait began as a simple painting assignment during my senior year of high school.
With just one week to complete it, I turned in the initial version on time—but my teacher saw something special in it and nominated the piece for U.I.L. competition. Over the next two months, I revisited the painting, applying major corrections and thoughtful critiques from my teacher.

That extra effort paid off: I became a finalist at both the district and state level, nearly earning a perfect score.

This is not only my first surrealist painting, but also one of my all-time favorite pieces. I poured countless late nights into bringing it to life—and every sleepless hour was absolutely worth it.