My thesis exhibition, ‘A PART OF THE WHOLE,’ explores self-portraiture by assembling paintings of close-up images of my skin from underappreciated body parts. I paint the textures of my hands and feet as evidence of artistic labor striving for the continuation of artistic creativity. The thesis exhibition includes conventional paintings assembled paintings, installations, and items from the studio. The easels serve two purposes: presenting the paintings and functioning as metaphorical backbone supporting skin paintings. Lastly, a cast of my own face serves as a death mask that functions as an authentic seal of artistic authorship for my thesis exhibition.