Title translation from Latin: “The stars inspire us, but they do not bind us.”
 
Commission for nightdancer of his Zaire as a dark angel, an adaptation of Avacyn the Purifier from Magic: the Gathering (hence the identical spear). This was a difficult one but also very satisfying to create, an expression of mixed and contrasting feelings that are better left unexplained - hopefully the picture speaks for itself. A higher resolution version can be found here:  
http://alessioscalerandi.com/temp/s_astra_inclinant_sed_non_obligant_cc2_1920px.jpg
 
On the technical side I wanted to capture the feeling of MtG images while staying true to my painting style and I’m very happy with how it turned out. The background is based on lenticular clouds, a rare type of cloud formation that I’ve only seen in person some years ago when there were massive wildfires on the mountains near my city. That memory coupled with the intimidating look of such formations felt like a natural fit for the tone and theme of the image.
 
Oil painting on canvas, 40x60 cm.