My Journey with Magic the Gathering

Creating Art for the Premodern, Magic the Gathering

1997 Charm Cycle & auctions for my Artist Proofs

Every week I intend to premier one Magic the Gathering Artist Proof (White Back) card from my early Charm Cycle with a one of kind multi-media piece of art on it. The card art above was for the back of a Funeral Charm which I titled, “Death is a Beginning.”

The auction is on the Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Cards Facebook Group. It begins on Saturday 2:00 PM, EST and ends the next day Sunday 10:00 PM, EST.

I created the art for the Premodern, 1997 Charm Cycle—one of Magic’s earliest expressions of five-color design. There are five charms in this series. I was commissioned with Wizards of the Coast through my connection with Allen Spiegel Fine Arts at the San Diego Comic Con when the game was just starting. Now MTG is a worldwide phenomena with conventions and festivals in 16 locations across the globe.

The MTG Vision Charm 1997 Series

I have been asked by fans to sign cards for decades! I did not sell much personal art on my artist proofs but now with the resurgence of the Premodern MTG sets these cards are back. I am grateful because I put a lot of love into these APs, along with underlying alchemical symbolism and Spalenka mojo! Some past commissions below-

I see MTG cards not just as a game, but also as talismans for growth and understanding similar to the way Tarot or Oracle cards are used. So, I approach the art I make on these cards as magical iconic symbols, not just an image to complement the card.

The Funeral card can be read as dark magic associated with death, fear, and decay, which matches black mana’s themes in the game, but conversely it can also represent transformation through endings. Black mana in Magic is often misunderstood as only evil; philosophically, it also represents acceptance of mortality, ambition, adaptation, and the willingness to change through loss.

Inspired by the quiet grace and bittersweet wisdom embodied by Death, the character from The Sandman graphic novels (which I created some art for), this original art for the Funeral Charm captures the inevitability and dignity in mortality that she represents– the fragile space between endings and transformation.

I am committed to offering one art filled card per week for auction on the Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Cards Facebook Group for now, so check it out if you are a fan of the game! It is amazing how loyal MTG players are and their support for artists like myself.

If you are interested in Signed Magic Cards, or Altered Magic Cards please go HERE to learn more and purchase.

Below are two more artist proof commissions.