07-08-2025, 03:27 PM
ALCHEMICAL CREATURES II is Fran de Anda’s second solo feature with Arch Enemy Arts, his follow-up to part one, which sold out last July. It features nine new paintings, including three full-length portraits with custom, hand-embellished frames. Using traditional techniques to grind his own pigment, de Anda paints celestial beings and anthropomorphic soothsayers in oil, gold and silver-leaf. His creatures don ancient religious garb, simplified forms and large, staring eyes that conjure early Byzantine iconography mixed with magic, surrealism, and an element of play.
“My inspiration is based on myths and archetypes such as life, death, nature, and the forces that act mysteriously in the world. I am interested in representing concepts like creation, fate, rain, fire, etc. through the alchemical symbolism of elements and the influence they cause on the viewer’s gaze. [I hope] that whoever looks at my work can find a little magic to accompany them on their journey to discover their place in this world.” - Fran de Anda
https://www.archenemyarts.com/alchemicalcreaturesii2025
“My inspiration is based on myths and archetypes such as life, death, nature, and the forces that act mysteriously in the world. I am interested in representing concepts like creation, fate, rain, fire, etc. through the alchemical symbolism of elements and the influence they cause on the viewer’s gaze. [I hope] that whoever looks at my work can find a little magic to accompany them on their journey to discover their place in this world.” - Fran de Anda
https://www.archenemyarts.com/alchemicalcreaturesii2025