My most recent works are an exploration of portraiture through the use of allegory. The subjects become therianthropic; some animal parts morphing into the body elegantly, while some protrude instead. These zoomorphs are an extension or form of the "self", a reflection of identity - not to be confused with spirit guides or totems. The meaning behind the symbolic imagery, although personal, can be interpreted in many different ways. Even those whom I have portrayed will inevitably decipher their own portrait differently than I have. Although I have used specific people for each particular painting, my works are undeniably a form of self portraiture. While the sitter informs my painting greatly, the work is an exploration of the daimonic. This is the unrest that exists in us all which forces us into the unknown, leading to self-destruction and/ or self discovery. The paintings recognize and confront my own daimons, which Rollo May refers to as any motive that has the ability to take over a person. The issues that cause a personal struggle are not uncommon: concepts such as self actualization and a struggle to affirm what our anima is are ideas that I believe many people can relate to.
Web: www.picturetrail.com/rorycoyne
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