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'''Rebecca Guay''' is an artist specializing in watercolor painting and illustration. She is mostly known for her work commissioned by [[Magic: The Gathering]], White Wolf, and DC Vertigo comics. She received a degree in Illustration from the Pratt Institute in New York City in 1992. She resides in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband and daughter.
{{Infobox artist
| image      = Rebecca Guay.jpg
| caption    = Rebecca Guay
| name      = Rebecca Guay
| born      = Aurora, Nebraska
| status    = Inactive
| first      = Alliances
| last      = Magic 2010
| style      = Classical, water colors
| training  = Pratt Institute in New York City
}}
'''Rebecca Guay''' (pronounced "Gay"<ref name=Pro>{{DailyRef|feature/pro-tour–valencia-2007-artists-2007-08-07|Pro Tour–Valencia 2007 Artists|"ProTour Staff"|Unknown}}</ref>) is a ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' artist that has developed a large cult following since she began in ''[[Alliances]]''.  


Her art is very well liked by players, and the complaints about her exclusion from [[Mirrodin]] led to the creation of <c>Persecute Artist</c> as a inside joke.
==Style==
Her artwork has a strikingly classical style that favors heavy use of watercolors.<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/phantoms-back-2010-10-26|The Phantom's Back|[[Tom Jenkot]]|October 26, 2010}}</ref>
 
Much of her artwork appears extremely soft and is considered feminine in form. Her palette and style makes her easily recognizable and lends itself primarily to [[green]], [[blue]] and [[white]] cards, particularly [[elves]], [[angel]]s, and [[faerie]]s. Outside of Magic she has worked for White Wolf, DC Vertigo Comics and World of Warcraft TCG amongst many others.<ref name=GuayBio>{{WebRef|url=http://www.rebeccaguay.com/biofaq.html|title=The Art of Rebecca Guay - Bio/FAQ|accessdate=2010-09-07|author=Rebecca Guay|date=2010-4-29}}</ref>
 
==Early life, education, and training==
She graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1992<ref name=Pro /> and has since taught an Illustration Master Class at Amherst College.<ref name=GuayBio /> She currently resides in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband [[Matthew Mitchell]] and child Eliette.
 
==Career==
Her cult following is anything but undeserving with work being chosen as "Best in Show" at [[Gen Con]] in 2004, and being elected "Best Artist" in 2005 by InQuest Magazine's "Fan Choice Awards". She has also received critical acclaim for her work in children's books. As a direct descendant of Emperor Charlemagne of France she seems destined for greatness.<ref name=Pro /> Many of her fans admire her strong feminine presence that stands out from much of the macho artwork of the modern fantasy landscape. Alongside [[Melissa Benson]] and [[Terese Nielsen]], she brings a strong flavor to Magic from the female perspective.
 
Guay hasn't worked on a set since ''[[Magic 2010]]'', but did loan her artwork to <c>Channel</c> for ''[[From the Vault: Exiled]]''; additionally, a version of {{card|Serra Angel||V15}}, painted in 1996 and previously only found in an oversized version, finally appeared at tournament size in ''[[From the Vault: Angels]]''. In 2016, she also contributed the set of basic lands in ''[[Commander 2016]]'' as a guest artist.<ref name=Commander2016>{{WebRef|url=https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/mikelinnemann-11172016-commander-2016-art-review|title=Commander 2016 Art Review|accessdate=2022-12-19|author=Vorthos Mike|date=2016-11-17}}</ref>
 
She contributed her first new spell art to ''Magic'' in ten years in the ''[[Secret Lair Drop Series: All-Natural, Totally Refreshing Superdrop|Mother's Day 2021 Secret Lair]]'' ({{card|Mother of Runes||SLD|#=297}}). Her child [[Eliette Mitchell]] also contributed a piece in that series. The next year, she also illustrated her first planeswalker character in {{card|Elspeth, Sun's Champion||SLC|#=2013}}.
 
==Controversy==
After her exclusion from ''[[Legions]]'' ending an unbroken streak of five blocks, it was incorrectly reported that Guay was fired from [[Wizards of the Coast]] due her feminine style:
{{Cquote|Sadly, the new art director, Jeremy Cranford, thinks my work is too feminine for the vision he has for the game. I would love to continue with Magic but it is not in my hands.<ref>
{{WebRef |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070928103946/http://www.mtgnews.com/F/Topic/1078456129399_WotC_Fires_Artist_Rebecca_Guay.html |title=WotC Fires Artist Rebecca Guay |accessdate=2010-09-07 |author=rancored_elf |date=2003-02-04 |publisher=MTG News}}</ref>}}
 
Art Director [[Jeremy Cranford]] responded that she wasn't fired - Wizard's artist policy was to use freelancers, who cannot be "fired" so much as not having renewed contracts<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/mythbashing-2005-11-30|Mythbashing|[[Matt Cavotta]]|November 30, 2005}}</ref> - but simply not used due to her style conflicting with the style guide for [[Otaria]]:
 
{{Cquote|In the Legions set, the creative team had to think of a way to show what happened to Otaria after Kamahl destroyed the Mirari. We decided we would show the effect of this magic by making really intense exaggerated versions of all of the creatures. We would have 'super versions' and 'hyper versions' of Soldiers, Clerics, Wizards, Zombies, Goblins, Elves, etc. Even the land would evolve over the course of Onslaught block. When selecting artists, the creative team selected artists that we felt would fit precisely within this vision of what Otaria was becoming.<ref>{{DailyRef|ask-wizards-february-2003-2003-02-03|Ask Wizards - February, 2003|[[Jeremy Cranford]]|Febuary 7, 2003}}</ref>}} 
 
This response was not reassuring for the community. The controversy persisted when she was not included in the art team for the subsequent sci-fi influenced [[Mirrodin block|''Mirrodin'' block]], as it gave the impression that Magic's art direction was moving away from Guay's style permanently. The controversy was parodied in the ''Un''-cards <c>Persecute Artist</c> (illustrated by Guay herself) and <c>Fascist Art Director</c>, and the controversy died down after her work was featured for several blocks after.
 
==Artist Series==
In 2023, Guay's work was highlighted in the ''[[{{SLD|Spring Superdrop 2023}}]]'' [[Artist Series]]: Rebecca Guay.
*{{card|Cleansing Nova||SLD|#=1251}}
*{{card|Serra the Benevolent||SLD|#=1252}}
*{{card|Stoneforge Mystic||SLD|#=1253}}
*{{card|Muddle the Mixture||SLD|#=1254}}
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:ChannelFTV.jpg|<c>Channel</c> - ''[[From the Vault: Exiled]]'' version.
File:ElvishPiper.jpg|<c>Elvish Piper</c> - Green cards shine around her artwork.
File:GaeasBlessing.jpg|{{card|Gaea's Blessing||WTH}} - Perhaps Guay's most iconic artwork.
File:SustainingSpirit.gif|<c>Sustaining Spirit</c> - An early and high-recognizable art.
File:SylvanEchoes.jpg|<c>Sylvan Echoes</c> - Highly impressionistic artwork.
File:VitalizingCascade.gif|<c>Vitalizing Cascade</c> - Similar to Golden Age depictions of nude women & water.
File:WildernessHypnotist.jpg|<c>Wilderness Hypnotist</c> - Guay can get dark, despite her normal style.
</gallery>
 
==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.rebeccaguay.com Rebecca Guay's Official Website]
*[http://www.rebeccaguay.com The Art of Rebecca Guay] - Official Site
*[http://gatherer.wizards.com/default.asp?term=rebecca+guay&Field_Artist=on Complete card list] from [[Gatherer]]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20120717034427/http://www.purpleglitter.com/rebecca_guay/ Unofficial Rebecca Guay Gallery]
*[http://www.purpleglitter.com/rebecca_guay/ Rebecca Guay Shrine]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20180702020433/http://power9pro.com/blog/tag/rebecca-guay/ The Magic Artwork of Rebecca Guay] - Massive 3 Part Retrospective on her Magic Artwork
*[http://ethereal.hiraya.net Ethereal: An Unofficial Rebecca Guay Site]
*[http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_2?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Rebecca%20Guay Rebecca Guay's Books] - Amazon listing (illustrated and authored)


[[Category:Biographies]][[Category:Artists]]
[[Category:Artists|Guay]]

Latest revision as of 17:16, 20 May 2023

Rebecca Guay
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Rebecca Guay.jpg}}|250px]]
Rebecca Guay
General Information
Born Aurora, Nebraska
Status Inactive: Alliances to Magic 2010
Style Classical, water colors
Education/ Training Pratt Institute in New York City
Scryfall Search
artist:"Rebecca Guay"

Rebecca Guay (pronounced "Gay"[1]) is a Magic: The Gathering artist that has developed a large cult following since she began in Alliances.

Style

Her artwork has a strikingly classical style that favors heavy use of watercolors.[2]

Much of her artwork appears extremely soft and is considered feminine in form. Her palette and style makes her easily recognizable and lends itself primarily to green, blue and white cards, particularly elves, angels, and faeries. Outside of Magic she has worked for White Wolf, DC Vertigo Comics and World of Warcraft TCG amongst many others.[3]

Early life, education, and training

She graduated from the Pratt Institute in 1992[1] and has since taught an Illustration Master Class at Amherst College.[3] She currently resides in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband Matthew Mitchell and child Eliette.

Career

Her cult following is anything but undeserving with work being chosen as "Best in Show" at Gen Con in 2004, and being elected "Best Artist" in 2005 by InQuest Magazine's "Fan Choice Awards". She has also received critical acclaim for her work in children's books. As a direct descendant of Emperor Charlemagne of France she seems destined for greatness.[1] Many of her fans admire her strong feminine presence that stands out from much of the macho artwork of the modern fantasy landscape. Alongside Melissa Benson and Terese Nielsen, she brings a strong flavor to Magic from the female perspective.

Guay hasn't worked on a set since Magic 2010, but did loan her artwork to Channel for From the Vault: Exiled; additionally, a version of Serra Angel, painted in 1996 and previously only found in an oversized version, finally appeared at tournament size in From the Vault: Angels. In 2016, she also contributed the set of basic lands in Commander 2016 as a guest artist.[4]

She contributed her first new spell art to Magic in ten years in the Mother's Day 2021 Secret Lair (Mother of Runes). Her child Eliette Mitchell also contributed a piece in that series. The next year, she also illustrated her first planeswalker character in Elspeth, Sun's Champion.

Controversy

After her exclusion from Legions ending an unbroken streak of five blocks, it was incorrectly reported that Guay was fired from Wizards of the Coast due her feminine style:

“  Sadly, the new art director, Jeremy Cranford, thinks my work is too feminine for the vision he has for the game. I would love to continue with Magic but it is not in my hands.[5]  ”

Art Director Jeremy Cranford responded that she wasn't fired - Wizard's artist policy was to use freelancers, who cannot be "fired" so much as not having renewed contracts[6] - but simply not used due to her style conflicting with the style guide for Otaria:

“  In the Legions set, the creative team had to think of a way to show what happened to Otaria after Kamahl destroyed the Mirari. We decided we would show the effect of this magic by making really intense exaggerated versions of all of the creatures. We would have 'super versions' and 'hyper versions' of Soldiers, Clerics, Wizards, Zombies, Goblins, Elves, etc. Even the land would evolve over the course of Onslaught block. When selecting artists, the creative team selected artists that we felt would fit precisely within this vision of what Otaria was becoming.[7]  ”

This response was not reassuring for the community. The controversy persisted when she was not included in the art team for the subsequent sci-fi influenced Mirrodin block, as it gave the impression that Magic's art direction was moving away from Guay's style permanently. The controversy was parodied in the Un-cards Persecute Artist (illustrated by Guay herself) and Fascist Art Director, and the controversy died down after her work was featured for several blocks after.

Artist Series

In 2023, Guay's work was highlighted in the Spring Superdrop 2023 Artist Series: Rebecca Guay.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ a b c "ProTour Staff" (Unknown). "Pro Tour–Valencia 2007 Artists". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Tom Jenkot (October 26, 2010). "The Phantom's Back". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ a b Rebecca Guay (2010-4-29). "The Art of Rebecca Guay - Bio/FAQ". Retrieved on 2010-09-07.
  4. ↑ Vorthos Mike (2016-11-17). "Commander 2016 Art Review". Retrieved on 2022-12-19.
  5. ↑ rancored_elf (2003-02-04). "WotC Fires Artist Rebecca Guay". MTG News. Retrieved on 2010-09-07.
  6. ↑ Matt Cavotta (November 30, 2005). "Mythbashing". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Jeremy Cranford (Febuary 7, 2003). "Ask Wizards - February, 2003". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.

External links

Retrieved from "https://mtg.wiki/index.php?title=Rebecca_Guay&oldid=46865"