Self-portraiture work by Mel Keiser ’07 is part of an exhibit at the McLean County Arts Center that runs Jan. 9 through Feb. 28, 2015. Called “Self is a River,” the exhibit also features works by two other artists. Mel lives in Chicago.

“All of Mel Keiser’s work begins with images of herself,” wrote exhibit curator Melanie Scott-Dockery. “Although trained as a painter, she uses manipulation of photographs and video to record her investigation into her shifting identity. In the Mel-types, she tears away the surface of photos with tape, rubbing, and etching. Then coats the photos with encaustic. Her silhouette blends with the light and shadow of venetian blinds in Mel Mutations. Every piece removed and added to her subject is meant to show one more variation of herself.”