Contemporary figurative painter Mary Beth McKenzie has returned again and again to the theme of the self portrait over the years, including many examples of the working self portrait. Far from being symptoms of vanity, we see the painter gazing unflinchingly into the mirror, noting and accepting the bodily changes wrought by time. McKenzie studied at various places including the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Art Students League in NYC where she now teaches. McKenzie has received numerous honors including election to the National Academy of Design in 1994. Her work is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the National Academy Museum, among others. She is represented by ACA Galleries in New York City. [http://womenintheactofpainting.blogspot.nl/2012/10/]