Self Portrait As A German Ace in 1918

This piece is a little bit of a departure from my usual fare. My wife and I were planning to go out one morning to take reference shots for an upcoming painting. I decided that perhaps I should maximize my time in front of the camera and see if I could get reference shots for multiple pieces. I began to think of how fun it would be to do a painting of myself in full period gear. It only made sense - most artists create self portraits during their careers, and painting myself in the same type of uniform that many of my subjects would have worn seemed quite appropriate.