Finding Peter Mohrbacher: The Angel of MakersPlace
What if I told you that a prominent Magic the Gathering illustrator released digital art in 2018? What if I told you that those NFTs have been hiding in plain sight ever since?
Have you played Magic the Gathering? If yes, what do you remember most about the game?
I'll admit that while I played my fair share, I never got wrapped up in the game itself. What I did fall in love with was the art. It is unique. Iconic. It has a look to it.
One of the artists responsible for the look is named Peter Mohrbacher.
"In addition to the card illustrations, I also worked on the concept art team for Return to Ravnica and Theros [Magic the Gathering worlds]. Lots of stuff in the Theros world springs directly from my stylus. As a world of larger-than-life gods, that plane is a fertile place for my aesthetic." -PM
Imagine if that aesthetic - if those larger-than-life gods - entered the digital art space.
The past weekend in digital art was like no other before it.
As the Beeple x Nifty Gateway inferno reached peak hysteria, you're forgiven if you missed this:
The above snapped me right out of my Beeple-induced Sunday morning hangover.
Peter Mohrbacher created digital art?
In October 2018?!
IT’S STILL AVAILABLE TODAY?!?
"The plan was to list a few pieces and then double down if the marketplace showed signs of life down the road." -PM
It turns out, the answer is yes.
With nostalgia over his Magic art alive and well, I snapped into action. The chase was on.
Initially, I was ecstatic. After tracking down Peter's art on MakersPlace, a collection of twelve Zodiac Angels matching the twelve zodiac signs flew off of my screen. They were illustrated in the distinctive style that I remembered. I marveled at my own sign, Aquarius, and Pisces, Libra, and Capricorn were favorites. Peter is a brilliant artist.
"I was in college at the time and a friend shared an encyclopedia of Angel names with me. What was in the book was little more than a list of names but the names were all it took to get me interested " -PM
Then, my dreams were crushed.
I knew that @MuseumofNFTArt purchased 3 first edition angels. Fair play (even more so since he was my initial source!)
What I didn't know is that @itsparrott beat me to the rest available currently. Sigh. Well done, sir.
Peter Mohrbacher's collection of Zodiac Angel digital art is comprised of 12 angels, each a 10/10 edition.
But only 8 angels - a mix of second and third editions - were available for bidding. I bid on all of them.
No other editions were available. I paced the room. Still not available. What more could I do?
I decided to find Peter.
Angelarium is a world unto itself. A world created by Peter Mohrbacher.
"Most concept art never sees the public eye, so while people who worked behind the scenes can point out whose live on in the [Magic the Gathering] card illustrations, many of my most meaningful contributions remain largely uncredited. That lack of control is a part of the reason I've pivoted so hard to work on my own IP for the past 7+ years.” -PM
The Zodiac, The Seraphim, The Watchers, and The Emanations. All are in depth collections of angels complete with origin stories. The illustrations are incredible.
"The first Angel I illustrated was Suphlatus, The Angel of Dust. Again, it just comes back to how evocative the names are for me. The idea that an Angel of Dust existed just hit me over the head with how inspiring it was. I'm continuously surprised more people don't take these ideas and run with them." -PM
Angelarium is clean and well constructed. It has a Discord. There is a Patreon, a newsletter, and a merch store.
There is also an email for Angelarium's creator. I reached out.
What ensued was more than I could have asked for. Peter replied and assured me that yes, he is releasing the rest of the angels on MakersPlace (many are now available).
Even better, he graciously agreed to answer five burning questions on my mind. Thank you, Peter! The full transcript is below for your reading pleasure.
As for me? My collection of Zodiac Angels is nearing completion.
As for you? Most angels have at least 6 of 10 editions yet to be released at the time of this writing. If you're so inspired, embark upon a holy quest.
As for Peter?
"A lot of my artistic peers are traditional painters and I've watched them enjoy the benefits of a collectors market for many years now. I'm excited by the existence of a real collectors market that feels the same love and respect for digital work.
Collectors have proven to me that they are interested in my work and I want to repay them by offering something rare, authentic, and desirable." -PM
I found Peter Mohrbacher, and I have a strong hunch that his digital art - old and new - will never go unnoticed again.
5 Questions With Peter:
For many, the digital art explosion is recent. You created these angels on MakersPlace over 2 years ago! What compelled you to be this early?
”One of the founders reached out to me as he was getting the site set up and I knew just enough about blockchain to understand what NFTs were and what MakersPlace was all about. I'm bad at market speculation, but I'm always up to spin the wheel for free if an idea looks good. The plan was to list a few pieces and then double down if the marketplace showed signs of life down the road.”
Origins fascinate me. You say you became aware of mythological angels in 2005 and this spawned Angelarium. How did you first discover them?
“I was in college at the time and a friend shared an encyclopedia of Angel names with me. What was in the book was little more than a list of names but the names were all it took to get me interested. After discovering that so many Angels were written about, I dug deeper into online resources to find more.”
What was the first angel that you created and why?
“The first Angel I illustrated was Suphlatus, The Angel of Dust. Again, it just comes back to how evocative the names are for me. The idea that an Angel of Dust existed just hit me over the head with how inspiring it was. I'm continuously surprised more people don't take these ideas and run with them.”
No one needs an introduction to Magic the Gathering. Can you share something unique from the experience of designing and illustrating for the brand?
“In addition to the card illustrations, I also worked on the concept art team for Return to Ravnica and Theros. Lots of stuff in the Theros world springs directly from my stylus. As a world of larger-than-life gods, that plane is a fertile place for my aesthetic. Most concept art never sees the public eye, so while people who worked behind the scenes can point out whose live on in the card illustrations, many of my most meaningful contributions remain largely uncredited. That lack of control is a part of the reason I've pivoted so hard to work on my own IP for the past 7+ years.”
Can you share or hint at any future plans in the digital art space?
“A lot of my artistic peers are traditional painters and I've watched them enjoy the benefits of a collectors market for many years now. I'm excited by the existence of a real collectors market that feels the same love and respect for digital work. Collectors have proven to me that they are interested in my work and I want to repay them by offering something rare, authentic, and desirable.”
Links:
MakersPlace Collection: Angelarium
Twitter: @bugmeyer
Instagram: @petemohrbacher
YouTube: Peter Mohrbacher
Website: Angelarium