Katherine Jackson

Illustration Project

2023

This piece depicts a moment in the myth, "Dionysus and the Tyrrhenian Pirates", where Dionysus spares the helmsmen for correctly figuring out he was a god.

Dionysus in a mortal disguise gets kidnapped by some pirates who think he is a pretty son of a noble and think they could sell him. Dionysus' response is to sit there calmly, smiling as all the bindings the pirates try to put on him keep falling off. The helmsmen seeing this, naturally pleads with the captain and crew to release the strange man since he is most likely a god and they shouldn't make them mad. The captain and crew don't believe him and keep sailing. Suddenly the smell of wine and sound of pan flutes fills the air, grape vines start to grow, the mast becomes snakes, the strange man becomes a lion and mauls the captain, some of the crew start to go mad, and they all jump into the sea where they turn into dolphins. The only one spared is they helmsmen who gains the god's favor for figuring him out and trying to help him.

Made with: Ink dip pen, Photoshop