We reached out to three incredibly talented artists to generate artwork for the album Dream of Kings by Dark’s Ensemble: Antonio Francisco Garcia, Mia Hill, and Lyra Illuminata Gutierrez. We wanted them to create their respective pieces after listening to the music. We encouraged them to use their human-guided artistic instincts to amplify musical elements that made an impression on them. Learn more about them and the artwork below.
Dream of Kings, the Aftermath, by Antonio Francisco Garcia
Tony shared that he was particularly taken with the phrases “sand turned to glass” and “our mutant descendants will be free one day” in All That I Know. With personal connections to New Mexico and its geology, and with echos of Alamogordo glass in his mind from the first nuclear tests at Trinity, he was drawn to the abstract image of a demonic, mutant Ibex Man unleashing his rage upon those who had wronged him.
Antonio Francisco Garcia was born in Miami, Florida, in 1965. The artist is a first-generation Cuban American whose creative journey bridges art and science. After earning a B.A. in Fine Arts from UCLA in 1988, he continued to sketch and paint, guided by what he learned from Les Biller, Roger Herman, and Patty Wickman and a teacher/artist at Florida International University whose name he cannot recall.
His early engagement with performance and conceptual art, learned from Paul McCarthy (American artist, b. 1945), merged naturally with a growing fascination for field geology.
That intersection ultimately led him to a faculty position in the Physics Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he has taught geology since 2001.
A gift of canvases and oil paints from fellow artist Guillermo Willie in 2013 reignited his commitment to painting. Later, in 2018, the tattoo art of Trever Carter and the music of physicist-songwriter Thomas Gutierrez inspired a new wave of creativity and sustained artistic production.
By 2021, his practice shifted from oil painting to black-and-white ink drawings on 18-by-24-inch paper — a medium that harmonizes the analytical complexity of science with the simplicity of line and form. A playful challenge to depict a “technicolor motorhome” in an illustration of Steely Dan’s song “Kid Charlemagne” reintroduced color.
Today, his drawings move fluidly between black-and-white and color ink, reflecting a lifelong dialogue between art and geology.
The Spot Where the Last Flower Grew, by Mia Hill
Mia shared that the song Capitol Hill in particular made a strong impression on her. She crafted a haunting image on digital media, pulling from many classic animation styles. A shell-shocked soldier struggles with his family to escape the apocalypse, his suburban dreams shattered. They confront a damaged future where technology plays an unexpected and horrifying role.
Mia Hill is a Los Angeles-based illustrator with a concentration in digital art and animation. She is currently a third year animation student at California State University Northridge, and passionate in creating stories that highlight both the absurdity and comforts of everyday life. You can learn more about Mia’s artwork on social media under the name Moquat, or contact through email at [email protected]
A Shattered Visage Lies, by Lyra Illuminata Gutierrez
Lyra shared that, after listening to the music, she tried to capture the feel of the whole Dream of Kings song suite with one image using digital media. Her crisp piece spoke to the ephemeral nature of power. Rooted in a traditional Jolly Roger, a long-dead king with a luscious red and gold crown is surrounded by the instruments of destruction that both enabled and eliminated his ability to dominate the world. The skull is affectionately known as Ozzy, after Shelly’s poem Ozymandias, from which the artwork’s title is taken (and also the name of one of her cats). RIP Ozzy Osbourne, July 2025.
Album Cover
The final album cover layout was designed by Thomas Gutierrez. It is a simple composite of the three pieces above with A Shattered Visage Lies being the forward work and Dream of Kings, the Aftermath and The Spot Where the Last Flower Grew providing subtle texture. The Dark’s Ensemble font is Trajan Pro and Dream of Kings is Zapfino.
