It started it back in 2004 as a series of 12 angel portraits. It was the basis for everything that happened in my career over the past ten years and returning to it has brought me back to the core feelings of excitement I've always had about creating art.
Recently, the question of "what's next?" keeps popping up, which seems reasonable because to a lot of people the eleven emanations of the Tree of Life is what Angelarium is. But in my mind, it's only first chapter.
I learned a lot over the past few months but first and foremost is the value of collaboration. Eli Minaya has become a good friend and a wonderful partner in the creation of The Book of Emanations. Moving forwards, I wouldn't be surprised if we work together on more things but I'm also in talks with other artists and designers about expanding the project. Patreon backers have probably already seen Noah Bradley's take on things. But there is a lot more to come from creators beyond the realm of fantasy art.
Angelarium is not a series of illustrations. It's not an art book or a comic book. It's not a series of prints or figurines. It's a space where we can use metaphor to describe our shared experiences. This gives it the freedom to manifest in any medium and tell any number of stories. My goal for it is to create honest, interesting work in as many mediums and with as many collaborators as I can.
The Book of Emanations is my first foray into illuminating the overarching story of Angelarium. Most of the pieces you've seen so far are small glimpses into the journey of Enoch. His is the story of the one person who has visited heaven without dying first. It's based off an apocryphal Old Testament chapter called The Book of Enoch. The chronicle of his ascent will be contrasted against the fall of the Grigori, a band of angels that descend to Earth and are ultimately destroyed by their own hubris. These stories have trickled down into popular culture before, but I'm amazed they've never been fulfilled the way so many other mythologies have.
The first major release for Angelarium is an art book called The Book of Emanations, it chronicles Enoch's exploration of the Tree of Life. Its being launched via Kickstarter March 5th.
So, that's what's next right now, buy what about longer term? My plan is to work on this project throughout all of 2015. I figure some of these things will happen:
- A Tarot deck, which seems like an obvious choice because of the format and subject matter of the work so far.
- A board game where you play as and against other Grigori in a struggle to survive or prevent the catastrophe that you've wrought on the world.
- An original sound track for the Tree of Life.
- A series of collectible vinyl figurines.
- A series of comic books that will follow the rise an fall of individual Grigori as their tragedies play out.
- Probably anything.
- Definitely more art.
I have to give a heartfelt thanks everyone who helped support me via Patreon and bought stuff from the store.. You're the reason everything that is going to happen will happen. I've committed to making Angelarium my number one priority with a bullet throughout all of 2015. If we can make it sustainable by then, I'm going to keep doing it for as long as both fans and I continue to love it.
All the Best,
-Pete Mohrbacher