Face By: Robert McPartland

I read about Bonnard's "sparkles" - small pieces of reflective foil he attached to his studio wall to remind him to maintain a sense of faceted light in his paintings. This piece is an all-over still life - a facade of four small shiny wrappers on a reflective ground seen from an aerial perspective, which has the effect of flattening the picture space. The gaps inbetween the wrappers form a cross and can be seen as similar to a cross on a flag; an emblem often referenced on abstract painting. The painting became a meditation on formal abstraction, emblem paintings and pictorial space. The facade of reflection also contains a reflection of my face, which inspired the title.