11 x 28 inches, open

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ARTIST
Ed Beard, Jr.

Ed’s career began when he was just 11 years. Inspired by the great masters of the Renaissance, he spent hundreds of hours after school and on weekends studying and replicating these great masters. Although most children would spend the summer outside playing, young Ed was determined to master his craft. As a result his work attracted the attention of a nearby Archbishop who in turn received a request to present the Pope, “Paul the VI” at the time, with one of young Ed’s masterpieces. Many more commissions from prestigious government officials for Portrait work followed. Ed was the youngest artist in the nation to be commissioned to paint an entire Cathedral, St. Anne’s in Rhode Island. After a few years Ed’s desire to paint the fantastic drew him ever nearer to the comics and game market. He also created large scale murals on several city buildings and customized autos and motorcycles for a living. Finally, Ed decided to put all of his effort into Fantasy art and exhibited at the 1993 Gen Con game Expo. Ed was then approached by Wizards of the Coast to illustrate for Magic: the Gathering Collectible Card Game and the rest is history.