Good morning everyone, and welcome back to another edition of the Mirror Gallery on Hipsters of the Coast! I’m fresh back from MagicCon Barcelona, and having just finally shaken off the bit of jet lag, wanted to take a week between releases to reflect on my experience in Europe.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the event with one of the artists I work with, Titus Lunter, and we had our little slice of 79-degree Fahrenheit paradise at Fira Gran Via Convention Center for Europe’s largest show in at least five years.
Titus Lunter’s Booth at MagicCon Barcelona
Over three days, we saw thousands of players from all over the continent come to have their Urza’s Saga and Basic Lands signed, pick up a print or playmat, and collect all matters of tokens and artist proofs. Like MagicCon Philadelphia and Minneapolis, the Art of Magic section was a smash hit with attendees, with some artists like John Avon, Magali Villeneuve, and Marta Nael having a solid line from Friday to Sunday, doors open to doors closed. The Art of Magic makes a MagicCon extra special, and ReedPop and Wizards both should have certainly noticed the immense draw it is to their overall event.
Over the week I was in Barcelona, I saw old friends and made new ones. I went quite literally, There and Back Again, and these are a few of the things I learned along the way.
Meet Your Heroes
I’ll start with what I think is most important. The old adage to never meet your heroes is nonsense.
Titus at his booth
This was my first time working side by side with Titus, but it was also the first time we’d met in person, save for a brief GP booth hello nearly 10 years ago. He and I have been internet buddies for a good while now. He was the inaugural Behind the Brush article in this very column, one of my first AP clients, and someone whose work, both for Magic and his new personal art, I’ve admired for quite some time. In Barcelona, we got to share meals and talk quite a bit about Magic, life, and otherwise. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the weekend working alongside his signing hand. It’s a privilege to be able to represent his work, and without him, this trip would have never been possible. Our personalities gel and we have a lot of cool things in the works that I can’t wait to show you all.
Marta Signing at MagicCon Barcelona, from her Twitter
I also got to spend some time with Marta Nael (when she wasn’t signing a thousand The One Ring). Since her Magic debut in Kaldheim in 2021, she’s been included in four different Grand Art Tours, which may actually be the record for any artist, or very close to it. She’s a Barcelona local, a brilliant artist, and the nicest human being; it’s simply surreal to get to meet an artist I’ve written so much about and makes all of this work here resonate that much more.
As you can imagine there were more than just artists. I’ve spent the last ten months crossing paths with Sam from Rhystic Studies, and in that time we’ve gotten to share some wonderful conversations. Barcelona was no different, and it was a pleasure to meet his girlfriend Katie who was along for the journey. Sam is the very best of us working in this space: I look up to his work and admire him as a human, but above all, I’m glad to call him a friend.
Sam and I meeting for the first time at MagicCon Vegas; Closing conversations at MagicCon Barcelona
This is but a snapshot of the utterly amazing people I got to spend my time with this weekend. From listening to Ovidio Cartegena and Tyler Jacobson talk about things well past what I understand to gushing over the new hotness in upcoming artists with Vic Ochoa, and all the dinner and drinks with folks I now call friends, for me these interactions are what MagicCon is all about.
Medieval Cathedrals are Kickstarters
I managed to squeeze an extra few days into my trip after the event, and on my last day Magic artist Randy Vargas and his partner Yara took me through the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, the oldest part of the city brimming with history and some of the coolest architecture I’ve ever seen in my life. Our first stop was the Barcelona Cathedral, and it just blew me away. Yara is an AMAZING tour guide and likened this massive building, which began construction in 1298, to our modern-day artist Kickstarters.
Barcelona Cathedral
Families pledged money towards its construction, and in exchange had their own personal altars and chapels dedicated to patron saints. Different backers had different levels of financial investment, which if you think about it, is not unlike the MTG signature systems you see at MagicCons—some alcoves are simple like Black Sharpie, and other folks go all out for Rainbow.
The Rainbow Signature of Chapels
She even showed me some of the ‘Add-Ons’, like being buried in the floor or walls:
Tomb on the floor of Barcelona Cathedral
Or having your Coat of Arms over a choir chair:
Coat of Arms of the Order Of the Golden Fleece
It’s amazing how some of our modern-day systems of support are literally rooted in thousand-year-old traditions; everything that is old becomes new again.
Paper Magic is Not Dead
I’ve never been a very competitive Magic player, and only ever sparingly watched Pro Tour coverage. But when Sunday was a bit slow at the booth, I caught Game 4 (38:00 in the video below) of Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings from our table. We all know how the PT ended now, but do yourself a favor and watch. It was the most fun I’ve had watching Magic in a good long while, and I’ll definitely be tuning in again.
Passion Facade of La Sagrada Familia, completed 2017
The Work is Never Done
La Sagrada Familia, the largest unfinished Catholic cathedral in the world and the centerpiece of Antoni Gaudi’s masterful architectural career, was a sight to behold. But as I just mentioned, though it began in 1882 the structure is still not completed and has no estimated completion date. And yet, it is no less breathtaking than if it were to be 100% finished. All roads in this column lead back to Magic, so what does that mean? Well, I’ll tell you!
It means not only starting the thing but doing the thing. If it’s an article, start typing. If it’s a deck, pull cards, and get those 100 together as best you can. Shape it, craft it, change it. These windows are designed in accordance with the position of the sun: blue and green in the morning, and red and orange as it sets. Be intentional, and do things that make you happy.
And at the end of the day, just publish the article or play the deck the way it is. Just because it’s not done, optimized, or exactly as you want doesn’t mean it’s any less enjoyable.
The start of something beautiful always has to start somewhere.
Cliche or Not, It’s About the Gathering
If there is one common theme running through this article, it’s this. The idea that the “Magic” is “The Gathering” is not new, and has become especially resounding in the years following the eventless COVID-19 pandemic. At each of these large events, they function as more than play space. They are a common ground where folks come to be themselves alongside their people. MagicCons have an infectious energy: everyone is happy, excited to be there, and soaking in the atmosphere. I’ve been a part of this game for twenty years, and every time I go to one of these events, I’m blown away by just how happy folks are to be there.
Dinner on the final night of my MCBarcelaona adventure
I am so very fortunate to have friends in the artist community that make me feel like one of their own, especially when I’m at one of these events. We worked together, ate together, laughed together, and simply enjoyed each other’s company in the shadow of the convention center and the sunshine of the city. A 2pm lunch or a 2am drink, it’s the same; I am so very grateful for my art friends, and the precious time I’ve gotten to spend with them.
Wrapping Up
MagicCon Barcelona was an incredible experience. From the location to the people to the event itself and exploring the city, it’s something I will remember forever. To those that made it possible, those that I spent my time with, and those who I’ll be working closely with after the event, I thank you. I mean, I got to travel around the world for Magic, meet artists from faraway places, have dinner with art directors, see unimaginable sights and be a part of something so much larger than myself! How cool is that?! I know this is an art column, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share these experiences, because they shape who I am, as a writer, as an agent, and as a person. If you ever have the chance to do something similar, take it, and if I can help in some way, I’ll do the very best I can to make it happen
Magic turned 30 years old this weekend, and I don’t even have the words for the profound impact it’s had on my life. MagicCon Barcelona was simply a cherry on top of one hell of an ice cream sundae that’s been the last twenty years of this game.
So thank you Magic, for making a 12-year-old kid’s wildest dreams come true.
Donny Caltrider (he/him) is a Senior Writer at Hipsters of Coast writing about all things related to the art of Magic: The Gathering and the larger imaginative realism genre. He has an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University and enjoys telling stories about art, objects, and the intersection of fantasy with real-life. When he’s not writing for Hipsters or working with artists, you can find him traveling with his wife, petting his two cats, and watching the Baltimore Orioles.