Fay Jones

Fay Jones is a fine art painter from Seattle, WA, who was trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, and whose work is exhibited in numerous locations around the Pacific Northwest, including a mural at Westlake Station and a painting in Seattle's opera house, McCaw Hall. She also just so happens to be Richard Garfield's aunt... Back in 1993, while her nephew was finishing his doctorate in combinatorial mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania, he was also developing a new strategy game called Magic: The Gathering. As his game evolved from simple playtest cards to full-color cardboard, Garfield commissioned his aunt to create a piece of art for a card called Stasis. It was the only artwork that Richard Garfield would commission for the game he'd created, and the only piece that Jones would ever do. For many, it represents a simpler time in the game's history. Jones' work is unlike anything else used in the early iteration of the game. It feels inspired by Gauguin or perhaps Picasso, and yet uniquely her own. This short documentary (featured below) highlights her career and the body of work she's created. You can also see more of her painting here.