Expressive portraiture as research: Exploration, ideation and discovery

Abstract

Expressive portraiture, as a form of arts-based research, is an emerging methodology that complements traditional approaches to qualitative inquiry. Marrying phenomenological methodology to arts practice, the artist-as-researcher can explore meanings that are often taken for granted. Expressive portraits facilitate the researcher’s reflections on participants’ experiences, allowing the development of complex ideas and feelings. The portraits became my entry point to understanding participants’ lived experience and offered an avenue to explore and deepen our relationships. However, one participant and I unexpectedly diverged in our interpretations, a vulnerable experience for us both. In my quest to deeply understand the experiences of my participants, I found that I had to release my own preconceived notions. The arts-based method of expressive portraiture made visible my interpretation, that altered my conceptions of qualitative research, and who I am as an artist/researcher/teacher.