Meet the Artists

Name: Raito Art
From: Indonesia
Portfolio: www.behance.net/albertchauwwijaya
Favorite rock you worked on: Emerald, opal, and amethyst
What sort of art do you most love to make? Fantasy art and digital art
Open for commissions? Yes! (Contact through portfolio link above.)

Considering the sheer volume of art Raito created, it will surprise no one that I dubbed him my “Art Machine.” The number of high-quality finished pieces he delivered in record time is truly astonishing. No sooner would I toss an idea at him than I’d get sketches back that perfectly captured the mood I was hoping to create, whether it be fierce and powerful, sweet and inspiring, or playfully fun. And he was always game to create any odd subject a rock wanted–from a lovable capybara to a conquering knight, and even including a distraught little “squonk.” It was a lucky day when I landed Raito for this job!

Name: Emanuel Messias
Art Name: Messiasart34
From: Brazil
Portfolio: www.artstation.com/messiasarte34
Favorite rock you worked on: Oh god, I can’t choose one, but I think its baryte–I reached another level of texture skill.
What sort of art do you most love to make? Definitely character design, and now, thanks to you, rock textures. Futurism/Retro-futurism and fantasy are favorite subjects.
Open for commissions? Yes, I am! (Contact through portfolio link above.)

When I was in the early stages of evaluating an artist’s work, I’d jot down notes to remind myself later who was who. The only note I ever made for Emanuel was: “I suspect he can do anything.” I was not wrong. He’s not just amazing at the art itself, but at coming up with creative solutions for portraying the trickiest or most stubborn of rocks. He quickly became the artist I went to anytime I was stumped. Just a few challenges lobbed his way were: “Can you make a rock look light?” and “How can we demonstrate community, but in a rock?” and “How about a rock that’s ambiguous?” He never balked but would come back with sketches that were so perfect, they’d give me chills. No wonder the rocks for brilliance, wisdom, and inspiration all demanded Emanuel!

Name: Luís Bento
From: Brazil
Portfolio: www.artstation.com/luisbentoart
Favorite rock you worked on: Carnelian. I love the feeling of the composition and colors, and making interiors is a big passion of mine.
What sort of art do you most love to make? Fantasy characters and creatures, especially dragons! Also backgrounds and scenery, especially landscapes and big scenes with multiple characters and/or creatures in them!
Open for commissions? Yes, I am!
https://linktr.ee/luisbentoart

I would generally let the rocks tell me which artists they wanted to work with, and I suspect it says something that so many of my happy, kind, and magical rocks chose Luís. Before long, I felt like he was creating an entire cozy world with his art, a world filled with happy villagers, joy, friendship, and laughter, where a person might at any moment stumble across an enchanted creature or a treasure trove of riches. I have no way of knowing for sure if Luís is himself leading such a delightful life, but I suspect there’s something magical about him for sure.

Note: For my picture I’m choosing a plain, totally blank, empty white image, allowing viewers to focus on the value of my essence itself.

Name: Clive Borromeo
Art Name: MINT ATELIER
From: Philippines
Portfolio: www.artstation.com/mintos
Favorite rock you worked on: Lodestone
What sort of art do you most love to make? I am drawn to creating ‘grungy’ or ‘noisy’ art renders because I believe they evoke a raw, organic feel that’s more natural and immersive. My favorite medium combines the precision of 3D with the expressive freedom of digital painting. As for subjects, I’m particularly inspired by capturing scenes and landscapes.
Open for commissions? Yes. (Contact through portfolio link above.)

I had a one-word reaction when I saw Clive’s first pieces of rock art. Well, two-words, technically, since what I actually said was, “Whoa, cool!” He might describe his art as grungy and raw, but I think there’s a reason so many of my most awe-inspiring rocks selected him as their artist. He also created the piece of art I most want to step into, with that gorgeous library he built for wulfenite. Take a look at these, and see if you don’t say, “Whoa, cool!” yourself!

Name: Anzu PH aka “Jinxo Lan”
Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/anzu_hanabi
Favorite rock you worked on: Cerussite. I love the challenge of how I worked into making the rock beautiful but also harmful with its form, which meant the art was able to narrate the tragedy of the story involving this rock. 
In general, what sort of art do you most love to make? I am fond of creating fantasy illustrations because of the freedom it gives. It feels like I can see the world in different forms and timelines with fantasy illustration works. 
Do you have a favorite medium or subject? Digital painting is my preference because of how affordable and easy it is to draw anywhere. I enjoy drawing people, especially their faces, because it can tell so much story and character even just by painting eyes. 
Are you open for commissions? Yes, contact me on Instagram @anzuhanabi

It was always interesting for me to see which of my rocks asked for which artist. Sometimes a rock would have very little opinion, but other times they’ d be outright pushy about it. When it came to Jinxo’s rocks, they didn’t just request, they demanded! And as soon as I saw her creations, I understood completely. I can’t imagine anyone else channeling the passion and depth of feeling she infused into each piece. Her life kept her so busy it was never certain if she’d be able to say yes to the rocks who clamored for her, but I’m grateful we were able to get her for as many as we did!

Name: JC Molanda
Art Name: JC Arte
From: Philippines
Portfolio: www.artstation.com/jc_arte
Favorite rock you worked on: Aquamarine and Sodalite
What sort of art do you most love to make? I create different digital artworks, such as anime, seasonal product designs, and semi-realistic digital illustrations. I love creating these artworks. When it comes to semi-realistic art, what I always wanted to do is experiment with lighting to add magical effects to the illustrations.
Open for Commissions? Not Available.

It’s probably enough proof of how much I loved JC’s art to know that I asked him to create our landing page. And what a page he created! All the images he made were so perfect they took my breath away. Unfortunately for me, JC ended up getting hired into a full-time job, so I wasn’t able to get more of his wonderful art. But, truly, I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten just the handful I did. 

Name: Shane Maxwell
From: United States
Website: barbarrion.com
Favorite rocks: Very hard to choose but fluorite and chrysoprase seem to be consistently in my top three.
What sort of art do you most love to make? Costumes for the performing arts, specializing in fabric painting and dyeing. Minerals are a main source of inspiration, along with other facets of the natural world.
Are you open for commissions? Not available.

Last but certainly not least, Shane is another of my artists who ended up with a full-time job, preventing him from taking more rock art commissions. That was an especially big loss for the Rock Deck, because not only is Shane’s art breathtaking, but he himself is a certified Rockhound, being a longtime member and former Vice President of the Boston Mineral Club, among other things. While I so wish he could have done more, it was a true honor to have someone with his breadth and depth of rock knowledge do even one piece of art, let alone four!