Yea Though I Walk

"What lay beyond the archway? D'Nadrea had been raised in fear of the runic columns, with their glowing archway of pulsing magic that made the surrounding air tingle from their power. She'd heard all the tales of a wild world where death abounds. Of a place where chaos and the creatures of nightmare reigned supreme. It was where those deemed criminals by The Restorers were banished, though a banishment hadn't been witnessed in generations. Still, the question whispered in the deepest, most hidden corners of her mind: What lay beyond?

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I think this painting has come a long ways from its photographic counterpart (shown at the bottom of this post along with a rough concept sketch)! When I started this painting I really had only a vague idea of where I wanted to take it. I knew I wanted it to be eerie, hinting at the sinister, and to turn the two primary features of that photo into a magic archway and a far off tower. Beyond that, I had no idea where it was going to go and just ran with where it lead me. 

Originally, I'd wanted the tower a little more predominant, but those compositions just didn't look right. The perspective always seemed skewed in comparison to the archway, so I decided to make the tower smaller and to move it closer to the left side of the image.   

The bones weren't anywhere in my original plans, but I really love what they add to narrative of the painting! It makes you curious as to just what this place is. Who were those people and creatures? How did they die? When I was working on the tower, I always had Barad-Dur in the back of my mind as a sort of inspiration and wanted to capture a similar feeling with my painting.

So how do you like it? Also, what do you think of the 'seed story'? Would you like to see it expanded on? Let me know your thought!

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Original Photograph:

Concept Sketch: