Ron Foster, Wizards of the Coast Tournament Operations ManagerĪt Gen Con last year I was honored to meet Christopher Rush and play in a celebrity tournament with him. And is that not the best any artist can hope for? You'll be remembered as long as anyone taps a land for mana or shuffles up a deck of the cards you helped create, made immortal through your works. It won't be the same knowing never again will we see him hunkered down in his booth, sharing a laugh with a fan as he doodles on a card.įarewell, Chris, and thanks for all the good times. It was good to have one of the originals, one of the giants, back with us at events. After all the years, the smile and easy-going nature that created an instant rapport with fans was still there. We stayed in touch irregularly over the years, and I was happy to see that he was back on the circuit, having put behind him some of the health issues that had plagued him. He had a smile and friendly demeanor that shone through the language barrier and allowed him to connect with the Japanese players who lined up to get his signature on a Lightning Bolt or playmat. Back then, I was just a fan of the game, and only beginning my involvement with the business side of things as a judge. I first met Christopher Rush in 1997 at Grand Prix Tōkyō. Turns out Chris was right, and the audience loved them. Chris was excited to illustrate one of them (the Plains). Once it was clear we were going to do them, I went to Chris's desk and told him that the full-art lands were happening, and he had the biggest smile on his face. About a year later I was working on Unglued and I was trying to come up with offbeat ways to make Magic cards, and I remembered Chris's idea. He hadn't been able to convince anyone to make them.
Chris told me his idea for full-art lands. I was seated next to Chris on the plane and we started talking about wild ideas we had. One of my favorite stories came about on a trip to Gen Con. I modeled how I interact with Magic fans based on watching how Chris successfully did it. He was kind, helpful and always enthusiastic about his work and his art. I had the honor of working with Chris when I first came to Wizards. We’ve collected some stories and memories of Chris and his contributions to the game, click here if you would like to contribute to the Christopher Rush GoFundMe Memorial Fund It is a very sad day for Wizards of the Coast. His laughter will always be missed, but the joy he brought to the game will live on with smiling players around the world. His work has appeared on many of the most powerful and memorable cards in the game's history, inspiring countless artists, players, and fans. Christopher was an important member of the Wizards of the Coast family, and his comic book–inspired style helped create the look and feel of Magic: The Gathering from the very beginning. Magic lost one of its pioneers yesterday with the passing of Christopher Rush.
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