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Doubling Season by Chuck Lukacs
Search “Chuck Lukacs” in Gatherer, and you’ll only be rewarded with a handful of cards. But the charm of his style is apparent. His work was chosen to represent Doubling Season and Land Tax as judge promos, with that version of Doubling Season newly reprinted in Modern Masters. A Lukacs piece carries weight, and mystery, and fae energy. Put a Sorcerer's Strongbox in your pocket, and I guarantee you’ll instantly feel like an archmage.
Interplanar Tunnel by Chuck Lukacs (Planechase 2012)
His saturated colors and strong lines are worked into disciplined confections that read as legit fantasy with an old-school flavor to them. I had the opportunity to meet Chuck at Grand Prix: Portland, and I found him soft-spoken and bearded, with the aura of a craftsman or sage. He agreed to do seven questions, and lucky for us, he has some juicy bits about his big Magic “comeback” in a certain set to be released this fall . . .
Chuck Lukacs hangs original art for sale at Grand Prix: Portland.
1. Your Twitter handle is @LightPusher. One of your blogs is titled Portland Stink-eye. Explain the inspiration behind the names.
The term “lightpusher” has a couple origins, but one comes from the ancient phonetic root of the word “illustration”: illustrare. Which briefly translates into "bringing that which was in darkness, into light." I used to write this when grading assignments, and I wrote it in runic text for all my students at the PNCA, on the backs of MTG artist proof cards, on the last day of class. “Bring it to Light: Illustrare!” I've always thought it's essentially what we do as both traditional or digital illustrators, pushing or pulling things in and out of both literal and metaphorical light, and I hope to record a series of interviews with fellow Illustrators in the entertainment industry and then release it in podcast form, calling it Lightpusher Podcast (more to come on that).
Chuck teaching a workshop on Brow Structure—follow his shenanigans at fantastygenesis.blogspot.com
Shortly after moving to Portland, I noticed a sort of common expression. Part confusion, part angsty nitpicker, part righteous indignation, part self-deprecation, but coming from both myself and other Portlanders, at a strength I'd never seen before. The show Portlandia does a great job of describing some of it. I give the Stink, I (mostly) get the Stink, sometimes at the drop of a hat, and other times, it creeps up slowly . . . I don't know whether it's intentional all the time, who or what could possibly amount as reason for the Stink-eye, but it's out there, blessing and curse, and I mean to bring some of it to light through funny satirical portraits and stories in my charity blog Portland Stink-Eye! It's all about unity through curmudgeon, and giving to the Raphael House of Portland while I get there can't be all that bad a thing . . . Check it out and get on my charity mailer for free Magic: The Gathering giveaways as well!
Bicyclists in Portland tackle the asphalt slopes of Mt. Tabor Park. (Photo: theintertwine.org).
2. Say you were going to bike around Portland, OR in full-body cycling spandex. What pattern would you choose, and what color combo?
Oh, I don't think that would be the best look for me. I mean, even if it was bright neon 80s, with blinking rainbow LED lamps, just saying the phrase "full-body spandex" in public seems somehow unlikely . . . in the context of biking in any case. I'd most definitely give folks epileptic seizures as I passed by . . . No. Even though I love to observe the biking culture here in Portland, I'm more of an unobtrusive biker myself, in the little amount that I do with my partner out on Sauvie Island.
3. I heard through the grapevine that your rendition of Oblivion Ring is set on Mt. Tabor. What do you love about this location, and are there other pieces you've done that feature it as a reference? Tabor plays a big role during the formative years of many Portland young people, as I can attest to.
It is indeed! I moved to Portland from Detroit during a pretty difficult time in my life. I chose to live in the Mt. Tabor area from 2,200 miles away for its outstanding nature; its blast of scent from the pines and all its brilliant flora and fauna. Jogging up every other day kept me alive for those initial years, and I'm pretty tied to the mountain because of that. I've seen all sorts of small animals up there, but also eagles and raccoons, and I was even visited by a coyote once. Oblivion Ring was the first Magic: The Gathering painting I landed when I came to town, and my tiny apartment near the foot of the park had a balcony which faced the NW slope. So, I sketched the silhouette of tree line, and that's my balcony view of Mt.Tabor you'll see in the background of Oblivion Ring.
Burrenton Forge-Tender in oil (Photo: originalmagicart.com)
4. You just sold the original for Burrenton Forge-Tender, mentioning in your blog how you've had her up on your own walls in the past. Give our readers some insight into her creation and how it felt to finally let her go.
True enough. Burrenton Forge-Tender was the first of the four initial paintings I did for Magic as well, so along with Thorn of Amethyst, I was trying to be somewhat experimental while not straying too far from the concepts they gave us for Lorwyn. Might be an odd way of approaching illustration, but when painting rather chaotic and fluxus elements in cards, I tend to leave a certain amount up to chance and serendipity. I know how particular elements might need to conform to the brief and flavor text, but in terms of technique, I'm sometimes simply the vehicle for the painting to paint itself. This was the case, when painting the flames spiraling out of the forge. In terms of "letting go,” ask any traditional painter or practitioner of a truly one-of-a-kind hand-craft if it's hard to see one of his or her favorite pieces go, and he or she would be lying to say it wasn't. As artists, we still pour ourselves into every inch of our paintings—we push and pull the light, we toil our thoughts and spirit this way and that, throwing as much energy and dedication as we can into these brilliant stories, making the next better than before, while successfully directing the viewer’s attention and emotion where we want. Many of us will remember and gauge major events in our lives by looking back at our work . . . that time and place locked into those brushstrokes. So for us, selling or giving what ultimately amounts to a piece of yourself and your memories will remain both a blessing and a curse.
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5. If you were to step into the octagon for an Ultimate Fighting bout against a creature opponent, which creature type from MTG would you choose and why?
Well, this may not answer your question by creature races and classes or fight dynamics in the game, but generally, I'm a huge fan of fellow illustrators who can design creatures that don't necessarily feel like baddies—while still looking like they stepped straight outta Hell. There are certain MTG illustrators who walk a similar path with designing creatures that are equally sinister and somehow not, if that makes any sense. Whether it be the toothy Ravenous Baloth by Arnie Swekel, the beautifully thoughtful and ready-to-claw-your-face-off Darigaaz, the Igniter by brilliantly skilled Mark Zug, all of Steve Prescott's creatures, or perhaps even the slightly silly and Python-influenced Kezzerdrix painted by Matt Wilson, they all are insanely tight illustrators with the ability to make any creature horribly nasty and sinister, but give us a chance to appreciate their colors and intricacies as well.
[MJ aside: We take this to mean Chuck would prefer to go down swinging to an opponent he respects aesthetically.]
You might run into Chuck here at his neighborhood bar. (Photo: horsebrass.com)
6. Indulge us with a list of a few of your favorite Portland haunts where fans might experience a Lukacs sighting—what's your preference? Coffeehouse? Vegan joint? Dance floor? Fresh mex?
My local has been the Horse Brass since I first moved to town almost seven years ago, and it is also the place I'll go to sketch from time to time, as you'll see from my Facebook album called Pub Sketches. They've a great selection of beers, Pam digs their Reuben, and what's nae tah like about a place that looks like an old British pub? Hipbone is a studio on E Burnside that has regular life-drawing sessions, with a great group of models, and I like to practice up there sometimes, but like most working illustrators, I'm pretty much chained behind my table for most of my week—blessing or curse.
WOTC’s Theros preview gave us expectations of epic proportions. (Illustration by Jaime Jones.)
7. THEROS. Can we talk about Theros yet!? Okay, without giving away too much of anything, what did you enjoy most about working on this set? The gossip is you have sixteen cards in the set; can you confirm? Was there anything particularly challenging about this set?
I can't confirm or deny how many will print, but I've painted fourteen images in oil so far, and I hope to start on another five as soon as I get the briefs for them! Wow, what a fantastic set of conceptual images they gave us, and I can't wait to see all the great new art in September! Collectors have already started voicing interest in buying original art from this block, and for good reason. Jeremy Jarvis, Matt Cavotta, Richard Whitters, Steve Prescott, and a hoard of skilled concept artists made Theros a brilliant departure into a world I've not seen done quite this way, anywhere in all the Wizards of the Coast brands. It will really be something!
Fantasy Genesis, an art tutorial game by Chuck Lukacs, is available through Powell’s Books and Amazon.
Portland boasts about a gazillion young artists whose work hangs on the walls of brunch joints and coffeehouses, a lot of the pieces featuring birds. While that youthful creative energy has merit, Chuck represents what I feel is a more successful prototype of artist: gainfully employed, with projects in play that seriously give back to his community. I worked on the flavor text team for Theros and am ecstatic to think maybe some of my writing was paired up with some of Chuck’s art! Even though it sounds like we won’t be seeing a spandexy Chuck at Horse Brass Pub anytime soon, we can be very happy to have him as an enthusiastic, positive, and philanthropic member of the MTG artist community. Sláinte!
Till next time, may Magic be your light-filled forge.
-MJ
