Orion ✨

This linocut-style illustration is inspired by the complex and sad tale of Orion, the hunter. Orion sits in a field of forget-me-nots with his loyal dogs underneath the vast night sky.

There are some nights when I could just fall into the stars. This is my favorite time of year for the night sky because of the constellation Orion. It is the first constellation I ever knew and perhaps the only reason why I enjoy braving the cold winter evenings with my dog to look up at the night sky. But if you have ever read any version of Orion’s myth, they are all pretty depressing and he seems like not the best guy, in any respect.

I've been experimenting with drawing more narrative-based scenes over the past few months and this is one that came out of that exploration. I imagined my own story for Orion. Still a hunter, still has loyal dogs, still battling lost love, but is also a good human. Interesting tidbit about this drawing: In some versions of Orion’s story, he is killed by Scorpio and then sent to the stars by the gods. So I surrounded him with a meadow of Forget-Me-Nots, also known as scorpion grasses. ✨