Abstract
Inside and Out is an exploration of the intersection between portraiture and psychology. Inspired by IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy, this project focuses on looking inward and breaking apart the self to examine its individual parts. Forty-three miniature self-portraits in oil, framed to evoke a relationship to interiority and domesticity, depict the innermost parts of the self that are held close and rarely shown to others. In contrast, a single large-scale self-portrait addresses the external: how we curate, fashion, and present ourselves to others. Drawing from the conventions of Early Modern portraiture, I approach these portraits as personifications of thought to question societal expectation, internal conflict, and self-acceptance. My goal is to introduce viewers to the psychological framework of IFS therapy and to prompt contemplation, compassion, and consideration of their own internal experience.