Brave Enough to Burn

I recently learned that, on Tues July 19th, artist Glen Angus died. I knew Glen as a popular Magic:the Gathering artist, though his work has found it's way into several other companies products. His work was vibrantly colored, occasionally disturbing, but always memorable. Of the "new blood" that flocked to WotC after the artist/corporate fallout in the late 90's, he was one of the handful of artist whose work I could identify at a glance. Over the years, he polished his style quite a bit, adapting the consistent look that WotC seems to prefer in it's artists; however, all the pieces were, without a doubt, his.

I met Glen once, several years ago, while working a pro-level event. I think it was a GP, since I had time to actually talk to him for a bit. He signed way more cards for me than I'd expected at that first visit around. During that conversation, I mentioned that how disappointed I was that all M:tG art was starting to look the same; a result, I believed, of the trend toward computer rendered art. He asked me to come back later in the day if I got a chance, and we'd talk theory. I did, and it was an interesting hour; I only wish I could recall more specifics of the conversation. I do remember that Glen was a hell of a lot of fun to talk to, a bit snarky (in a good way), and an all around great guy. I've met A LOT of artist in the past few years, and sadly, too many have fallen victim to swelled egos. Constructive Criticism? Don't even think about it.

For more info on Glen, and to see a sampling of his work go here