Very difficult concept that turned into a graphic nightmare.
For me, this image is about the search for the promised land. The hope for a better place... the immigrant's dream. Since the time of the Exodus or earlier before; the time in which the homo sapiens exited Africa to head north, humans have always move from one place to another hoping for a better life when things got difficult. This is about the search for an utopian society... moral and transparent.
Commissioned for cover art by italian progressive band Aura, this was no easy task. As they originaly explained, "Deliverance" was about a dream a man has while traveling on foot through the lands of Palestine. In this dream, he experiences the suffering and tribulations of the hebrew people all the way from the Exodus to the last days of Christ. All to the purpose of obtaining his own redemption. Quite a concept to condense in just one little painting right? We went through countless sketches and emails back and forth discussing the concept and it took them a while to finally choose sketch #1! go figure!
Commissioned for cover art by italian progressive band Aura, this was no easy task. As they originaly explained, "Deliverance" was about a dream a man has while traveling on foot through the lands of Palestine. In this dream, he experiences the suffering and tribulations of the hebrew people all the way from the Exodus to the last days of Christ. All to the purpose of obtaining his own redemption. Quite a concept to condense in just one little painting right? We went through countless sketches and emails back and forth discussing the concept and it took them a while to finally choose sketch #1! go figure!
Getting the right look for the crystal city was a real pain in the butt... I conducted an extensive research on crystal structures... oh wait, there are no crystal structures!!!
Click on each image for full size.
Cover art
Cover art with logo and title
Detail #1
Detail #2
Detail #3
Chosen Concept Sketch
Unused Concept Sketch
