I
think Ed Unitsky is a genius of visual arts and his musical work brings back to the greats of history… I asked Ed Unitsky the
latest news related to his work...
I collaborate with Kimmo Porsti for years - he is a
part of “The Samurai of Prog” progressive rock group and I make artwork for
them (3 albums so far), so I was very glad when he asked me to design
Paidarion’s release. As it usually goes in my work with musicians, I got
forthcoming album’s title - "Two Worlds Encounter" - and its general
concept, some lyrics and project’s music for inspiration. Also – so good and
for me – I got total creative freedom. I don’t always know what idea is going
to be. Previously with Paidarion’s album I had an idea with… “Victorian”
circus: our real modern world can be its reflection in some way. We discussed
about this with Kimmo and I understood that musicians preferred not grotesque
and old-fasion but fantasy way for the cover artwork. “Two different worlds
meet…” - Kimmo wrote and – alias! - the new plot started its developing in my
mind. I didn’t want to be blatant in idea’s showing and I started to “play”
with views and objects in my imagination. I love symbols and ancient
civilizations’ traces (you see, for example, stone and ice “faces” in the “rock”
parts of the view), also I like to incorporate characters and entities in the
landscape and I love to rich colorful and “spacey” harmony in the picture.
Actualiy, I can imagine some place in my mind very clear - as if I really live
in them, - so I simply go with the “picture in my mind’. And when I start
working on a piece, the ideas evolve as I create them. Sending finished artwork
for the cover I am so looking forward to the musicians’ answer and I was really
happy that they loved the result. After the cover art’s previewing some minor
changes follows and then we works with booklet. So, the full implementation of
a concept for a music album includes both my own ideas and the reflection of
such ideas in the products, from the cover art to a booklet, following a common
design.
