The cover of this month’s issue is inhabited by “Rahab, Keeper of the Faith” by Peter Mohrbacher. As the creator of “Angelarium, The Encyclopedia of Angels,” Peter is a full-time artist and writer.
Bradley Powers: When I first saw the cover art for this issue, I was struck by how familiar the style felt and as I researched your art I realized that I’ve been following your Instagram account for years! I was first drawn to your ongoing series of tarot cards. Spirituality obviously has a large impact on a series referring to angelic lore, but was it your spirituality that inspired the art originally or was it more something you took an interest in as you discovered the mythology that you based your art around?
Peter Mohrbacher: My interest in spirituality has blossomed as a result of the work I’ve done on Angelarium. Back when it started, I just enjoyed the aesthetic of it but as time has gone by more meaningful layers of the work have unfolded. As the art reached people and resonated with them, I began to realize how much commonality people’s interior worlds share. At the heart of it, I feel that exploring those interior spaces is what a spiritual practice is all about. Once you peek into that expanse, it’s hard not to remain curious.
BP: Do you make art that is not related to Angelarium? How did your artistic career begin?
PM: I used to work in the game industry, so there is a decent amount of my work over the years that was created for other projects like video games, RPGs, and card games. For myself, I’ve made far more Angelarium artwork than anything else. It’s just much easier for me to start with a direction when I’m creating something imaginative and Angelarium gives me the structure I need in order to build stuff.
BP: As your website, Angelarium, states, you’ve been working on this project since 2005. How has it changed since then and where do you want it to go in the future?
PM: The project’s intent hasn’t changed much over the years but I have been slowly working my way toward the ambitious ideas I had at the beginning of the project. My goal has always been to use Angelarium as a platform to create different kinds of projects. There are 2D, 3D, interactive, and fine art elements always in play. For many years it was just me making pictures and posting them online but more recently it really has grown into something more multifaceted. At the moment I’m working on projects for the divination community as well as the gaming community, which are pretty far apart. I would love to make something in the realm of video games at some point in the future as well.
BP: As an artist who clearly has a wide audience on the internet, what are the benefits and downfalls to sharing your work this way?
PM: The primary benefit of having a large audience is that I have the capacity to self-direct my work. I’m currently crowdfunding a new Oracle deck and it’s only possible because so many people follow my work. The one major downside of this is the pressure to follow my perception of what I think my audience wants. It’s easy to feel a desire to repeat myself in order to not stray from what has worked in the past. The goal is always to serve my audience well, but it’s always a little unclear how much they want something new versus more work that feels familiar.
BP: You sell prints, desk mats, playmats, plushies, and more. What are the challenges of changing your artwork into products?
PM: At the end of the day, all these products are for me. The plushie doll was wildly unpopular but I love having it, so all I need are enough sales to justify its existence and I can call it a success. If there is a product I don’t personally want to collect, I just don’t make it. That keeps the process of sharing it with an audience authentic, which I think is important when I have such close proximity to them.
BP: Creating an entire realm of characters, gods, worlds, etc. has so many aspects to consider. Does this ever become overwhelming? How do you tackle what to choose next to create for Angelarium?
PM: Every creation for my project represents an aspect of myself and my experience. I think everyone is a little overwhelmed by the little personas running around in their head. For me, the process is one of recognizing and cataloging all the components that add up to my larger experience. My theory is that this is the source of all mythology and the reason these pantheons resonate with us so far apart from the peoples that spawned them. Looking at existing mythologies from this perspective never fails to inspire me to examine my own experience and how it could be expressed through my art. In this way, I feel like there is more than a lifetime’s worth of potential work to create, so I just make a list and work my way through it painting by painting as I sit down at my desk.
BP: Thank you so much, Peter, for giving us a deeper look into the realm of Angelarium! If you want to explore more of Peter’s work check out his Instagram and the Angelarium website.
