The Suitors is one of the illustrations I did of The Odyssey which I was reading at the time. First year back in Australia after living in Greece and I was doing all things Greek.

The scene is of the suitors who have bombarded Penelope (Odysseus’s wife) with proposals while her husband is missing. They all think he has perished at sea coming back from the Trojan War. Penelope does not come down to join them.

Boldly inviting themselves and drinking their host’s wine, they have taken over; a rowdy, treacherous, obnoxious bunch they are! The expression of the servant; says everything needed to say about this situation.

The animated expressions and mood of this artwork reflects the drunken and self-serving guests. The highlighted coloured faces amidst the monotone, perhaps candlelit room further dramatizes the female servant’s vacant stare as she bears witness to their antics. The wine pours out wasted on the floor as their efforts will not bear fruit and foretells of their deaths.

Though themes such as these may have been absent from my work in the last 20 years, they have been bubbling beneath the surface of my modern myths and art generated stories. Renewed interest in the universality of Greek iconic figures both historical and mythical are emerging more and more in current work.