Medusa

Published by Bloomsbery on 28 Oct 2021

“In this haunting reimagining of the myth of Medusa and Perseus . . . Burton’s take on the traditional adversaries humanizes both characters, blurring boundaries between hero and monster. Lomenech Gill’s (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) angular, full-color illustrations add another layer of depth to the story.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Medusa myth is given new shading and depth in a feminist retelling that homes in on the heart of a young girl punished unfairly for being herself. Burton’s prose [is] aquatic and mythical but not overwrought, its beauty is reflected in Gill’s sublime full-page illustrations. A smart reimagining of an ancient tale that questions old tropes.” ―Kirkus Reviews

A dazzling, feminist retelling of Greek myth, stunningly illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill

“A beautiful and profound retelling. Burton’s text and Lomenech Gill’s art are a perfect match, offering a powerfully feminist, elegiac, and original twist on this old story. The book tackles pain and trauma without flinching, but its message is ultimately one of joy and hope.” ―Madeline Miller

https://youtu.be/6MTygSNW718?t=52

The book is beautifully illustrated throughout. Can you share with us a couple of images within the book and what they represent?

Here is a small gallery of the few of the artworks from the book…

Learn more about the process & artworks

“I still think there is no match for sitting in front of a subject long enough to draw it. There’s a relationship there that doesn’t exist in the snapping of a photo. So wherever possible I try to find real life subjects to draw, and was lucky to find some wonderful models for Medusa, Perseus and their canine companions. […] I really like using etching, perhaps perversely, because of the constraints it brings, the problems that the technical process can pose, and therefore the ‘accidents’ that can arise. I use printmaking in combination with collage (called ‘chine colle’ in print-speak). This adds another – or several – layers of unpredictability to the process. Another thing I’ve done is work with printing plates to make paintings. […]. There is a bit of all of these techniques and media in Medusa.”

— Olivia Lomenech Gill

Rough Nov. 20, 2020
Rough Nov. 20, 2020
End of another day scratching about and after any number of schoolboy (?) errors, hard-ground breaking down and lines filling in, progress is remarkably slow. Time to go home and try some drawing instead… — Oct. 22, 2020