Crusade by Howard Lyon

It isn’t often I am able to start off an article talking about onion rings, and I think it’s a testament to Howard Lyon’s character that he was so sweet when I was basically talking about dunking one of his art pieces into bleu cheese dressing.

Lyon’s pieces stood out to me early on. First, it was because of their lush, palpable sensuality. Second, it was because of the memorable, unapologetic, in-the-moment women whom we are sometimes lucky enough to have populate his work. I’m suspicious that he may be living with a bevy of strong female models—his wife and daughters! There is a true tension between opposing forces in Lyon’s work, and that also appeals. I look at the dark corners of his stuff and think, “Yep, he’s been there.”

Angel of Flight Alabaster by Howard Lyon

While he’s done many interesting and beautiful pieces of Magic art, his strongest are those in which the classic good-versus-evil argument is allowed to take center stage in one of his sensually woven compositions. A glimpse of hope—with threads of darkness—is something Lyon does really, really well. The inner conflict is his playground: resolve tainted with doubt; desire plagued by guilt; loveliness in tragedy. And that’s all without being trite or too cutesy about it. Lyon seems honestly enthralled when he paints these contradictions, and the result is stunning.

Ghostly Possession by Howard Lyon

What did Lyon have to say about himself and his own work? He answered seven questions for me, so read on to find out!

“The Great Seal” by Howard Lyon (not from Khans of Tarkir, but it totally should be)

1. Okay, let's start with basics. Should we pronounce your last name like "Lion of Lannister" or like "Leon Phelps, Ladies Man"?

It is pronounced like lion, though I don’t know if I am bloodthirsty enough to have Lannister as a surname. Something to aspire to!

Trostani's Summoner by Howard Lyon

2. You are trapped on Zendikar for the rest of your life, and the only food you can conjure is onion rings. What is your dipping-sauce flavor of choice?

Not many people know this, but the Pillarfield Ox’s brains taste just like French onion dip with just a hint of rosemary. They are tough to kill, but if you can get two males to see each other, they will bash heads until one is dead, and the top of its head pops off, creating a convenient, if hairy, serving dish should I have guests. That would be my dipping sauce of choice, stranded or not. My second choice would be a romesco sauce made with the pituitary gland and cheek meat of a Windrider Eel.

Taste of Blood by Howard Lyon

3. Time to get real. Part 1: Is that your wife's neck on Taste of Blood? Because millions of players, including myself, would like to pass on our compliments if it is. Part 2: Are you a vampire?

That is my wife, who has been a willing model for many paintings, and I am not nearly good-looking enough to be a vampire. I might qualify as a bugbear, who have been known to go for the neck when cornered.

Eel Umbra by Howard Lyon

4. I read in your bio that you have a dog and "various other critters"—like ouphes and cockatrices? What's a day in the life of Howard Lyon–and-pets like?

At one point, we had four rabbits, a dog, a guinea pig, a fish, some chickens, a snake, some mice, and a great horned owl (not a pet) that would stalk our rabbits each day. We also have a family of lizards (also not pets) that live in our backyard that are about a foot and half long. I am hoping for some Goldenglow Moths, but I haven’t figured out what food or foliage will attract them.

Cloudshift by Howard Lyon

5. I think a lot of readers would be interested to hear any thoughts you might have on the interplay between faith/spirituality/religion and fantasy. You've added some beautiful, inspirational work to your website. Do you feel there is any kind of special relationship here? Do you have a perspective on "reconciling" (a word I've heard often from religious friends who are also into the genre) the two? Or, in your opinion, do they naturally play together nicely?

Great question. I was inspired to go into art because of fantasy art (playing Dungeons & Dragons and spending more time drawing my characters than actually playing), but I always thought I would do some religious work, too. So many of the works by the old masters are religious in nature and have inspired me. I love the passion and emotion in some of those works. Caravaggio comes to mind. Whether you believe in the subjects he painted or not, the imagery is powerful.

It think that my religious work has improved my fantasy work actually. Great fantasy for me holds a mirror up to the viewer or reader. We put ourselves into the fantasy and are able to imagine what we might do in the same circumstances. I am sure I am not the only one who has wondered what he or she might do if put into the Fellowship or if dropped into Narnia. I find that when I do the same thing with scripture, or religious work, it is more meaningful. So, with both genres of work, I hope to create work that the viewers can lose themselves in and let their imaginations enrich the experience.

Centaur's Herald by Howard Lyon

6. As an artist, what's your "blue sky" or endgame? Or are you already there? Are there specific goals you want to accomplish, or do you feel that you already "made" it?

My end goal is twofold: I want to create my own world, which includes writing a book to go along with a series of paintings and illustrations. I have always loved the Victorian and Scandinavian stories of faeries and trolls and “other worlds.” I have started working on a book that draws from that rich mythology. It is a dangerous world, wherein characters die and bad things happen to good people, but set against those events, powerful stories can be told. It gives me the chance to create heroes and villains and tell a story that deals with emotions and challenges that are universal to the human experience. I am about halfway through the first book.

Then, I will start working on the artwork. The second goal is to take my fantasy work more into the fine-art world. So many of the great paintings in the world’s finest museums are fantasy paintings. Works like Herbert Draper’s “The Lament for Icarus” come to mind, or William Bouguereau’s “Nymphs and Satyr.” The twentieth-century art movements killed off that tradition, but the resurgence of realism and academic principles have opened the door to that kind of work in galleries again. I want to be part of that.

”Virtue” by Howard Lyon

7. If you had to choose one card that you've worked on that best sums up "you"—what you're about, what moves you, what you love—which would it be?

I have always been drawn to the beautiful in the world, not the ugly or profane. I think my card “Angel of Flight Alabaster” might be my favorite painting I have done so far for MTG. It is a painting of my daughter, which makes it that much more special for me. It invites a story to be told in the viewer’s mind, wondering why the angel is sorrowful. There is a somber tone to the painting, and it also contains the beauty of the angel, her wings, and the setting. If I can cheat and add a second card, I really enjoyed painting “The Great Forest” piece. It is where I am going to build a small cottage/studio and retire. I have walked the path among those trees many times in my mind.

Follow Howard on Instagram, and participate in his adventures at his fine-art and illustration website and blog at www.howardlyon.com.

Till next time, may Magic by your bottomless chalice of delicious dip.

-MJ

www.moxymtg.com

@moxymtg