Intrigued by themes of metamorphosis and transformation, London based artist Paul Kingsley Squire has created a diverse portfolio through painting, intricate drawings and works created with a digital pen & tablet.

"The initial idea for the Metamorphica & the Danse Macabre series came through this interest in mythology and symbolism. I had been thinking about if these anthropomorphic personifications existed, how would they look in today’s world ?  

I wanted the works to be very contemporary, rather than go for a sword wielding fantasy art style, so I dressed them in today’s fashion, gave some of them cool methods of transportation and completed the works with a sun /moon symbol background.

The ideas for specific pieces  just kept coming to me, “how about a bull biker?”, “a punk rock Leopard?” or “a peace symbol waving Lion?”  



After I had completed a number of animal hybrids I introduced the skeletal (Danse Macabre) figures, as I wanted to add a darker element to the series. I intended for these characters to be oozing in luxurious decadence, literally dripping in sin.



The digital work requires a great deal of patience and by making the original line drawing very detailed, I can build the texture, light and shade, creating the illusion of a 3 dimensional figure. Each space within the intricate lines of the drawing is individually filled with varying colours, from light to dark in tone, a bit like a stained glass window. It’s a very time consuming process, but the only way I can achieve the dynamic quality of the final piece."

He is based in London U.K. and works from a studio in Muswell Hill, North London.

You can find out more about Paul at his personal website here:

www.paulsquire.com