Paul Metrinko describes Self-Portrait (Reflection) as “equally a living pictorial memoir and an earnest contribution to the tradition of figurative painting.” He recalls, “At the time, I was in my fourth year at PAFA and working mostly from direct observation, in this case from one of the upper floors of the Hamilton building looking south and down at the Furness building late at night.” Metrinko notes further, “I was keen to take on the challenge of painting the reflections of the hallway while also capturing the inky alleys lit in artificial light of the space beyond. It did not initially start as a self-portrait, as I was only really aware of the shape [my body] was making after the completion of the picture.”
Paul Metrinko, a Philadelphia native, received his BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2011. He turned to the cityscape and his intimate personal spaces for inspiration. Metrinko’s technical skills combined with his intellectual study of space have earned him Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, a Vermont Studio School Residency, and The Lois and Charles X. Landscape Residency. Currently living and working in New York City, Metrinko continues his discourses with the spaces he inhabits and encounters.
