John Avon

John Avon
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Cardiff, Wales
NationalityWelsh
Notable workMagic: The Gathering
Websitewww.johnavon.com

John Avon (born 1961) is a Welsh fantasy and science fiction illustrator. His work has been compiled in the book Journeys to Somewhere Else and used for book covers, CD covers, games, toys and advertising campaigns.[1] Avon is best known for his artworks for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, for which he has produced over 200 paintings.[2]

Life and work

Avon was born in Cardiff, Wales. He completed an art foundation course near to where he grew up in Cardiff, and gained a BA in graphic design in Brighton.[3] He began his art career in 1983 with commercial advertising.[3]

He has painted book covers for authors Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, Arthur C. Clark and Harry Harrison.[1][3]

Avon is one of the most prolific Magic: The Gathering artists, having painted over 280 unique cards,[4] mostly landscapes on Basic Land cards. For the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, he created the image for the Water Elemental card which is used in Hearthstone.[5]

In 2014 he successfully used the Kickstarter crowd funding website to raise funds for an illustrated book of his work, The Art of John Avon: Journeys to Somewhere Else (2015).[6]

Avon is married to the illustrator Patricia MacCarthy, with whom he has two sons, Laurie and James [7], and lives in Saltdean, near Brighton and Hove, England.[3] He also composes, plays and records music on the guitar and piano.[1]

Publications

  • The Art of John Avon: Journeys to Somewhere Else. Self-published / John Avon Art, 2015. Illustrations by Avon. Compiled and with text by Avon and Guy Coulson. Hardback, ISBN 9780993109706. Deluxe edition of 500 copies, ISBN 9780993109713.

References

  1. ^ a b c Avon, John. "John Avon – Fantasy Art – Biography Archived 2010-09-15 at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  2. ^ Magic: The Gathering card search for John Avon Archived 2015-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c d "The quintessential land man: Behind the Canvas: John Avon", Wizards of the Coast. Accessed 28 June 2014.
  4. ^ "The Most Prolific Artist". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Water Elemental", Curse, Inc. Accessed 28 June 2014.
  6. ^ "'Journeys to Somewhere Else' by John Avon", Kickstarter. Accessed 28 June 2014.
  7. ^ "Listening to My Art: The Secret Lair Soundscapes of John Avon". YouTube. 29 September 2023.