“Mo Laoch” (My Hero)
“Mo Laoch” Featuring James Joyce
It is a rarity that a character in a Pigsy piece is not a version of the artist himself but in this piece the figure is that of famous Irish writer James Joyce. The inspiration for this painting came after watching a documentary on Joyce and the realised connection between him and the artist's uncle, also James, whom he never met but who's house he now owns. Was Joyce talking about people like James in his celebrated novel Dubliners? Could James the Uncle have been a role model and mentor for Pigsy for he was also a poet and artist. The title "Mo Laoch" is Gaelic for "My Hero", a reference to the actual feeling for Joyce and the potentially stronger feeling for his uncle that, alas, never existed. Note that Joyce holds the red spelling book, Pigsy's nemesis, an item depicted in many of his works to signify his struggle with dyslexia.
By Kemp
See Designyard for available PIGSY prints
“Mo Laoch” prints are available from Designyward in Dublin, contact Ronan Campbell for details.
The large scale “Mo Laoch” PIGSY artwork, featuring James Joyce, is also available through Designyard
James Joyce “Art Wear”