Self-Portrait with Narcissus Flower

Artist: Keelan McMorrow
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Card: US$3.99
Print: from US$19.95

Self-Portrait with Narcissus Flower

A little spin on the old story of Narcissus. Narcissus, as you may well know, was a quite lovely Greek youth enamoured by his own image. He pined away his days staring at his own reflection, eventually growing roots in the ground- punished by the gods for his vanity, he was transformed into the Narcissus flower. Of course this is the root of modern English words like narcissist and narcissistic.
In this work I wanted to spin that old myth in a different direction. As an artist I find myself working for hours and hours, days at a time on my artwork. When I rest from my painting I find myself staring at the result, intrigued by my own work. I love painting and I’m in love with my work. Now, it’s often said that art is but an extention of the artist. If that’s the case then it goes to follow that I’m a bit of a narcissist myself, albeit of a different sort.
The joke in this piece is that it’s a self-portrait. But I’m staring down at my work, which happens to be a Narcissus flower (Narcissus poeticus, to be exact), the work being but a different reflection of myself.
The original was completed in watercolor and gouache media on Arches 180lb. cold-press cotton rag, 2007.

Self-Portrait with Narcissus Flower belongs to the following groups:

1 on 1: The Fine Art of Portraiture, In the Moment, Painters In Modern Times and Realist Traditional Art

Claire McAdams, 12 months ago

Wow I love the story behind the work, such meaning, beautiful tones and colors. Awesome art
Damien Mason, 12 months ago

This is a wonderful painting! Great idea too.
Wanda Edwards, 12 months ago

Incredible image!
Jessica Tremp, 12 months ago

very cool work…love it, well thought out
cdwork, 12 months ago

Stunning Painting
bluerabbit, 12 months ago

Fascinating concept beautifully executed.
hagnes, 12 months ago

This is so beautiful. I love how the Narcissus painting falls out of the frame.
Siafu, 12 months ago

Woa man! superb. The hair looks amazing.
jerry alcantara, 12 months ago

very beautiful painting,well done!
Helene Kippert, 12 months ago

Beautiful work – and the story is fascinating
Ashlee Maegan, 12 months ago

Very nice realism.
Splogy, 12 months ago

Love the concept, love the painting. Nice twist, well done!
Matt Redmond, 12 months ago

thats hillarious, well i mean your take on the myth; it’s very witty.
it is a very beautiful piece, the tones are so rich.
good work
Magda Vacariu, 12 months ago

stunning!
Keelan McMorrow, 12 months ago

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback—- makes doing this quite worth it!
PennyEdwardes, 12 months ago

Absolutly breathtaking drawing Keelan! You have an amazing talent…...thankyou so much for sharing your exceptional gift!
SnapHappy, 12 months ago

well done
Catherine Crim..., 11 months ago

this is fantastic….. your work is incredible..beautiful sp
Marilyn Brown, 11 months ago

I can’t begin to tell you how talented I think you are. Everything comes together in your work, colour, composition and your message combine to create a masterful piece.
Neale Sommersby, 11 months ago

a powerful portrait, beautiful work
Renate Dartois, 11 months ago

Great art-work -I love the colors very minimal the skintones are so realistic -you have awesome talent.
Care, 11 months ago

Amazing painting!!...loved reading your description…made it even more fascinating….
Helen Bascom, 11 months ago

Fantastic image.
Juilee Pryor, 11 months ago

beautiful and sad as well. the brush is like a knife and the gaze is melancholy.
Michael J Armijo, 11 months ago

I love the feeling of the ARTIST here…Excellent.
Lisa Hill, 10 months ago

wow, stunning image and lovely story to go with it x
Damian, 10 months ago

Love the take on narcissism, cool portrait.
Shelly Lazar, 10 months ago

Can spot your stuff a mie away-great
Lys •, 8 months ago

wow, this is wicked
Paul Compton, 8 months ago

Magic, I really love this.
JaneAParis, 7 months ago

I have no picture yet, so you’ll just have to think Iook like this. This is the first comment I have made because I am new. Your art hit me like a ton of bricks. You probably know how talented you are!!!
Azzurra, 7 months ago

well done!!! thank you
MhDkHr, 6 months ago

Beautiful story telling workart keelan… their expressions and great timing and tones, details and light … beautiful adventure dear friend … you ve made me smile !!!
Thank You,
mhd.
Garth Horsfield, 6 months ago

Completely amazing, and technically baffling… you’d have to be the best illustrator I’ve seen.
Carla Jandelle..., 6 months ago

‘you’re you’re own worst critic’.......some people…u and me? get past the point of self critism and move to self flattery :o)
Teagan Watts, 6 months ago

this is a really interesting piece and a great explanation of its concept. you’re a great artist!
kipishiux, 6 months ago

very strong work!
funkyporchini, 6 months ago

makes me wanna scream its so beautiful….your a god..
Elizabeth Duncan, 6 months ago

Wow you have skill! Love your describion to it makes the painting all the more interesting.
dimarie, 5 months ago

stunning image and very clever!
Kelli Maier, 4 months ago

It’s like an infinity painting…you staring at the you staring at the you staring at…...
mlgkats, 4 months ago

this wonderfully done
Nicholas Johnston, 4 months ago

This image conjures up Orpheus for me rather more than it does Narcissus…or rather Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus. The composition uses overlapping angles creating an almost tense atmosphere, completely at odds with the painting’s tranquil and lyrical subject. I like this painting very much: the tonality, compressed composition, the metaphor, the contradiction?

As for the Orpheus association? Well, the image combined with the text that Keelan provides reminded me of a scene in The Testament of Orpheus (I think that’s the film), where Cocteau himself repeatedly tries to paint a flower and only succeeds in painting a portrait of himself.
Sophie Shapiro, 4 months ago

Beautifully done!S
Chris Willis, 3 months ago

I wish I had the kind of words that have flowed so eloquently from Nicholas’ thoughts….but I’m not able to ….all I can say is….you are a truly gifted artist Keelan. Narcissistic? Well, if you are…you have every right to be. As for me….I see a look of great sadness in your expression, and wonder at the way you hold the brush…almost like a dagger? There’s way more to this image than meets the eye.
Colin Cartwright, 3 months ago

Narcissistic? Maybe but it is probably critical self-appraisal of your brush strokes – like we all do!
Superb detail and skill, Keelan.
A distant level to aspire to, for me.
Nikki Trexel, 3 months ago

that has got a lot of neat meaning, i love the interplay with the old myth. great imagination and creativity, and of course it is a beautiful work!
moltencrayons, 3 months ago

Exploring the theme of narcissism is very natural for artists. The love of your work must be there in order for it to be whole. This is an exceptionally sensuous portrayal, and so it fits perfectly with what you describe. Your balance has a good variety of contrasts and is beautifully executed! It’s amazing that you have gained this ability at such a young age.

From what I’ve observed, it seems that artists do their best work with self portraits. Rembrandt sticks out in my mind as one of the most successful… a life long narcissist of outstanding heart and quality.
Keelan McMorrow in reply to moltencrayons’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks to all of your comments.
As for the narcissus theme in this work, it’s really an investigation for me into the self. In a sense the modern ‘self’, or ego today is more fully developed than ever before in history. We’d probably, all of us, appear as narcissists to the ancients for whom this myth originated. Aside from that supposition, again, I wanted to play on the idea of my own work, being a reflection of myself, being a form of narcissism. I appreciate Nicholas’s comment of Orpheus, as I did indeed strive for a feeling as that in this piece (the exact flower I depicted here is a Narcissus Poeticus!). I’ll have to see the Cocteau film you mention. And yeah, the brush is like a dagger- there’s something mournful, to be sure, in life. I think that even the act of creation can be a solemn business, albeit a life-enhancing one.
Mui-Ling Teh, 2 months ago

I love the mythological reference in your work! I especially love this self-portait; the symbolism and the way it is painted. As moltencrayons says, the love of your work must be there in order for it to be whole. Unlike Narcissus who was punshied for his vanity, an artist’s passion is a blessing; it is essential to bring out a beautiful painting which will no doubt be looked at for very long.
artist4peace, 2 months ago

SO TRUE,SO AWESOME!
AD4P
coffeetea, 2 months ago

excellent portrait !
aila, 2 months ago

Great portrait!Beautiful work!
MaryK, 18 days ago

“When I rest from my painting I find myself staring at the result, intrigued by my own work. I love painting and I’m in love with my work.”

It shows!