liking your own work

I worked on this piece this past weekend. It is a bit different than my usual style. I was trying to expand a little bit. I also show here some of the other "candidate compositions" with which I was experimenting. I thought maybe I would try to use more elements and make it a "grander" piece. But I ended-up liking the "stripped down" version the best (I think I am a "less is more" kind of guy, when it comes to collage composition... see previous posts about minimalist collage and the work of the likes of John Stezaker). Anyway, when I was finished with this piece, I found myself staring at it for a long time... and more than once. People have asked me at times "Do you like your own work?". My answer is consistently "Most of the time". The question is a bit odd, I think. I wouldn't be creating work that I didn't like, I don't think. I suppose I have created pieces that didn't really turn out the way I wanted; and that I ultimately did not like. Most of those pieces are long gone. But one of my artist friends has told me that once he finishes a piece, he doesn't really bother looking at it again. I find that a bit odd as well. I try to create pieces I like (love?). When I do create something I really like, I look at it often. I suppose at one level, I am a VERY fortunate artist; because it seems like the pieces that I create that I like the most, are also the ones that others like (and are likely to buy!). Anyway, to make a short story long; I REALLY like this piece. I find myself staring at it for prolonged periods of time. I'm kind of transfixed by it for some reason. I haven't a title for it yet; but because it resonates with me so strongly, I am considering referring to it as a "self-portrait". But it's not really a self-portrait, right? And I did not set-out to do a self-portrait; and it wasn't what I had in mind at any point during the creation. So I may play with the title a bit -- make it ambiguous. I think the title is going to be "An Artist's Soul-Portrait". That is, maybe I am not the artist whose self-portrait it is. And it's not just a "self" portrait, it's a "soul" portrait (to capture a bit more of the "spirituality" of the piece). Obviously, this composition has elicited something in me. That's cool.