This portrait series started with a simple idea: what happens when you take something ancient, like the visual language of Byzantine icons, and reimagine it through the eyes of modern illustration? I’ve always loved how symbolic and intentional early iconography was. Every gesture, every pattern, every circle of gold meant something important. More than that, people understood this visual language: it was symbolic storytelling at its peak.
In these pieces, I wanted to capture that same sense of meaning but filter it through my own art style. Something more contemporary, shaped by comics, concept art, and character design. Each of my characters has a halo, but rather than religious symbols, they act as reflections of who these people are at their core.
Halyr’s halo, for example, is made of swords: a nod to his skill as a weapons master, but also to his fierce loyalty and instinct to protect. Joss’s halo crackles with electricity, tying into his preternatural powers and the restless energy that drives him. Each one carries their own “light,” so to speak, defined by the traits, choices, and contradictions that make them who they are.
I love exploring how old visual traditions can evolve into new languages of expression. The halo, in this case, becomes less about divinity and more about identity: about showing what burns brightest in a person, whatever that might be. To me, the interesting thing is that, on a subconscious level, people pick up on these things without having to have them shoved down their throat. Art gets that privilege where the written word has to do a lot more work.
I’ll probably continue to make portraits like these because I honestly don’t think I’ve scratched the surface of all the visual symbols that could be explored. And I like circles. They’re just so… round.