Odyssey

Odyssey is an ancient Greek term to mean a journey best exemplified in the writings of the philosopher 'Homer' in his chronicles on the journey of 'Odysseus' to his home in Ithica following the Trojan wars.

Partly based on myth and legends the series comprises of a set of paintings in which each is a work in its own right but also takes the viewer into the next on a journey through the mind to find that which is unattainable.

Used in a contemporary form it appears to be a dark morbid story of death but in actuality it is a love story showing the extent to which our hero`s would go through to be reunited with the ones they love.

In the case of 'Odysseus' he endured years of wanderings in which he entered the Underworld to consult the 'Oracle' for directions home, however his single mindedness is surpassed by the story of 'Orpheus' who, following the death of his wife 'Eurydice' passed through the portal of no return to implore of 'Hades' himself for the return of 'Eurydice'.

Whilst the paintings may initially seem dark and foreboding they are full of deeply buried symbolism and images that gradually reveal themselves.

The reference to Orpheus and Odysseus is used as a metaphor of a journey, the interpretation of the artwork is in the mind of the viewer, providing a platform on which to embark on their own personal Odyssey.

1. The Helmet of Invisibility

A symbolic representation of Hades

7. Lost in the Labyrinth

Beware of those who mislead and send us into a labyrinth to confront our own Minotaur. Here we can lose sight of our purpose.

2. The Pit

Following the death of his wife Eurydice, Orpheus was inconsolable

and sank into a deep pit of despair.

8.The Keeper of Souls

Hades: God of the Underworld and the keeper of souls.

An unyielding god who guarded his realm of no return.

Viewer take care: Do not enter this picture lightly else you fail to return and will join the other souls

3. Did Odysseus pass this Way?

Only a few heroes entered the Underworld and returned.

This is the gateway into which our hero must enter.

4. Waiting for the Ferryman

Here we wait for Charon the ferryman to carry us across the Styx. Only heroes may carry on to the next level for further judgment, those unworthy will be cast into the fires. This is the realm of the dead.

5. Cerberus

Cerberus the three headed dog is the guardian of the portal to the underworld into which flows the river Styx.

Carried by Charon and once through there is no turning back.

Cerberus is not there to stop entry but to prevent return.

9. Eurydice Lost

Together they journeyed from the underworld to within sight of leaving, but Orpheus looked back and lost Eurydice forever.

10. Leaving Hades Forever

Having looked back and lost Eurydice there is no return

He must find himself , but in which dimension, and will it be

a journey he must take alone.

11. In Search of Elysium for Eurydice

Emerging from the underworld alone, our hero wanders desolate in his quest to find his Eurydice in Elysium.

6. Consulting the Oracle

The Oracle is a seer, a font of all knowledge but a speaker in riddles. Beware of false directions, the path to that we seek is never easy.

12. Is this Elysium

Will our hero`s quest ever end ?

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