Original artwork description:

"Non serviam" - I shall not serve. In this portrait Joyce, as a young man, looks fixedly and unreservedly, on the viewer beyond his death mask. He could not serve two masters, art and the church, when both demand full servitude. Furthermore he was not afraid to make a "life-long mistake or one that lasts eternity". When I saw Joyce's death mask, I thought he was as peaceful in death as he'd been resolute in life. His example is, both in his work and his life, is inspirational to artists everywhere. 

Ulysses, The Dubliners and Portrait of an Artist were all set in Dublin.  A departure from my normal pixelated style, I've "etched" a Dublin Street map, including the River Liffey flowing through their mouths, into the portrait and highlighted a sight-seeing tour for Joyce and Ulysses pilgrims.

Reference Image is in the Public Domain.

Materials used:

Acrylic

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