
I visited my parent’s home country of Lithuania two years ago as a guest of Comic-Con Baltics. I had an amazing time and got involved with a Lithuanian animation company and partied. Among the famous Lithuanians, I met was one of the most famous, Andrius Mamontovas, who asked me if I would do an album cover for his next record. Of course, I said I’d be honored. He sent me the music and English translations of the lyrics. There was a lot of Northern European imagery and poetic expressions of a beating heart. I sat with the music and mulled over the lyrics and began sketching. I kept seeing a forest made up of nailed-together planks of wood. Rising up out of the forest was a teardrop with horns, a sword, and an iron heart. I was thrilled that he liked it so much that he had the image animated and projected on a curtain before opening the concerts of these songs.