Emergence – A Self-Portrait
Catherine Jorissen
- Sitter: Self Portrait
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
- Dimensions: 50cm x 64cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
- Categories: Female artist
About the artwork
This self-portrait was painted from a mirror reflection in the aftermath of a trying period marked by health challenges and personal loss. Catherine Jorissen painted it entirely from life, a discipline that grounded her at a time when she needed it.
Rather than depicting hardship, the work reflects what remained once the darkness began to lift. Colour and light carry the emotional weight. The figure is placed off-centre, leaning toward the light, an expression of quiet resilience and forward movement. A restrained palette moves from shadowy greys and earthy undertones toward soft whites and warm golds, suggesting not the absence of difficulty but the renewal that emerges through it.
About the artist
Catherine Jorissen is a Brisbane-based visual communications designer and emerging painter holding a Master of Fine Arts from RMIT and a Bachelor of Fine Art from Northern Arizona University. Painting primarily on weekends around a full-time career and family, her practice is one of quiet dedication. She is a returning Brisbane Portrait Prize finalist and has exhibited across Queensland and New South Wales.
