I painted this after moving to France. I just started learning French and felt isolated. Placing myself in a cheese box reflects this feeling but also intention to become integral part of a new culture. It was a technically demanding piece due to a small box size and large size of pastel sticks. I worked entirely from life, painting myself while looking into a small mirror I was holding in one hand. All I had as a studio space back then was a 60cm narrow table in our tiny kitchen. Painting is a very reflective and personal process for me which explains my choice of medium, soft pastels and charcoal, as they create no barrier between the artwork and myself. I pour all my being into my work, painting only what I feel or experienced. I work en plein air, from life, imagination and memory, sketches and my own references. My main subject is water. Struggling with the feeling of not-belonging-anywhere as a result of frequent relocations, physically connecting with sea waters gave me a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself. Regularly creating self portraits is a life drawing practice but also part of a search-for-identity process.