The Other Me - Self portrait oil paintings by Ruby Read
“The Other Me” is a collection of self portrait oil paintings exploring the quiet corners of everyday life, filtered through a lens of glamour, nostalgia and escapism. Painted in oils on canvas, these works are set in familiar domestic spaces- the bedroom, the dining table, the garden- but are viewed as if through a dream, or an old film slowly fading at the edges.
Inspired by vintage postcards, mid century interiors, and the golden age of cinema, the paintings slip between eras. There is a sense of timelessness, or perhaps of time paused, as the figures inhabit their surroundings in moments of reflection, boredom, longing, or delight. The artist appears again and again, reimagined in various guises, echoing the way we see ourselves differently from day to day, or even hour to hour.
A series of self portrait oil paintings
Each work plays with the idea of duality- the seen and unseen, the real and imagined, the self and the other self. The paintings hint at memory, fantasy, or the shifting layers of identity.
Though rooted in the domestic, these portraits are not confined by it. They offer a gentle form of escapism, where the ordinary is made strange and beautiful. With elements of the surreal sitting alongside the everyday, there is often a sense that something has just happened, or is about to.
Together, these paintings form a personal and playful meditation on solitude, femininity, and the small rituals of daily life. They invite the viewer to step into a world that is at once familiar and far away, where home is both a place of comfort and a stage for the imagination.
Collecting the series
Select paintings from “The Other Me” collection are available to purchase. Each piece is an original oil painting, and part of a unique body of work exploring performance, persona, and the female gaze.
To view available works or enquire about pricing, please email ruby@rubyread.art
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