Middle-earth Journeys

Oh, I agree--your best one yet! This one would go on my wall, too, should you make it available. To me, the composition seems more--something--than your other pieces. Right, I know that's not helpful. I'll try again: the prominence of the tree kind of unifies the whole painting in a better way. The use of similar colors also helps in that. Stunning, indeed! Your other paintings are interesting--one can travel through them and think of what is represented. But this one appeals on an emotional level, too.

I would call it 'flourishing'. It reminds me of the line at the wedding about how all the stars flowered in the sky.

I love the border! I still love the 'stained-glass window' look. I LOVE the stars peaking through the branches. I think a lot of Tolkien fans would be interested in having this one, Iolanthe.

I'm glad you all like it so much! I thought it was time I produced something magical and hopeful instead of dark .

It's called 'Telperion's Children' and is influenced by the Lost Tales as much as The Sil and LotR. The tree is, of course, Telperion with it's glowing flowers and light-edged leaves. The stepped hill in the forground is Tuna where the Elves lived in Valinor. Yavanna made them a tree like Telperion, called Galathilion, and planted it there for them. In the sea you can see Tol Eressea, the Lonely Isle, where a seedling of Galathilion - called Celeborn - was planted. Because the Lonely Isle was rooted to the foundations of the sea by Osse, after the Elves were drawn accross the ocean, I've shown the pillar it rests on going down into the deep.

Further out is Numenor where a seedling of Celeborn - Nimloth - was given to the Numenoreans. Further out still is Middle-earth with the White City in which a seedling of Nimloth became the White Tree of Gondor.

The Moon is also a child of Telperion:

Telperion bore at last upon a leafless bough one great flower of silver.

Aule created a vessel to preserve it's radience and it became the Moon.

So both 'hope' and 'heritage' are absolutely right. Both shining despite the worst that the dark can do to them.

I've lit Tuna and the islands in a golden light, the evening light of Laurelin that wanes as the light of Telperion grows.

Then through the Calacirya, the Pass of Light, the radience of the Blessed Realm streamed forth, kindling the dark waves to silver and gold, and it touched the Lonely Isle, and its western shore grew green and fair.

I hope you all like the painting better and not worse now that I've told you about it! I think the images Tolkien conjoures up are beautiful and it's hard to do them justice...

Iolanthe wrote:I hope you all like the painting better and not worse now that I've told you about it! I think the images Tolkien conjoures up are beautiful and it's hard to do them justice...

I didn't think I could like it better, but I do. I think it's a truly great work of art; it provokes an instinctive reaction (spot on, Merry, it does appeal on an emotional level), and discovering the meaning behind the various elements involved doesn't detract from it in the least.

I hope you do make it available!

I'm sure it will be in the next round of Marketplace offerings .

Tee hee - I nearly ordered a print of Lothlorien, then I remembered I could always frame the original .

It's beautiful, just beautiful Iolanthe! I could stare at it for hours...

It is stunning Iolanthe.

Funny, though, that RR and I both assumed it was about Minas Tirith. Although I suppose it is all a foreshadowing of Minas Tirith, anyway. It still works!

I can see that it looks like Minas Ithil and Minas Tirith - Minas Ithil in the mountain pass, home of the original White Tree, with a plain stretching between the two of them!

Hey - I've created two paintings that work as one ! How brill is that ?

Quite 'brill'! (You Brits sure talk funny! )

I think Tolkien would have thought that you have tapped into the collective unconscious, as he was trying to do. There's something about a white flowering tree and a big white city on a hill, etc., that we all just 'get'. The stories tap into the same place.

Yep - they do .

I forgot to mention that all the trees are symbolically 'placed' over their respective homes by a strategically placed white flower hanging right above them. It's all in the detail .

BTW mabreterese has been on a watercolour course all week and regaling me with daily stories about all the techniques they've been doing (toothbrushes anyone?). It sounds as though it's been great fun!

Iolanthe wrote: I forgot to mention that all the trees are symbolically 'placed' over their respective homes by a strategically placed white flower hanging right above them.

Iolanthe, thanks for pointing that out - I hadn't specifically taken that in when I looked at your picture, although I did 'get' the various steps up to the next level. I do like paintings which show you more and more the closer you examine them, but still look decorative on the wall so they can be enjoyed in various ways!

Iolanthe wrote: BTW mabreterese has been on a watercolour course all week and regaling me with daily stories about all the techniques they've been doing (toothbrushes anyone?). It sounds as though it's been great fun!

It's been brilliant -I feel a lot more confident and have TONS of ideas (although not all Tolkien-related!). The course was extremely experimental (as well as toothbrushes we used salt and clingfilm and knives, although not necessarily at the same time . . .) and the tutor encouraged us to paint larger pictures in a looser style. There were fifteen of us - various ages - and it was fascinating to see how people approached similar subjects/exercises in their own individual way.

I'd like to do more courses if I get the chance - watch this space!

We're watching for the next 'looser' mabreterese original !

Iolanthe wrote:We're watching for the next 'looser' mabreterese original !

You might have to wait some time . . . I'm trying to assimilate what I've learned at the moment! Plus I need to do some non-Tolkien stuff to become more adept generally. I did mention my paintings based on LOTR when we had to go round the table giving our background, and the tutor said how important it is to be able to use our imagination when composing a picture. However if you want to put, say, a horse in the picture, it's important to know how to paint a realistic-looking horse!

For the time being I thought this might be of interest - it's an excercise I did on colour and textures and could be said to be Tolkien-inspired - I think I had mallorns in mind, or possibly Laurelin as we had been discussing it on this thread. It might even be a fantasy version of the party tree! Too large to scan in so I've had to photograph it, which unfortunately has lost some of the overall effect. But you get the general idea:
Told you it was an experimental course!

Don't you just love to play? Some of my best paintings were just doodling around with technique. Yes, I used to paint too.

Actually - l love it . It's vibrant and glowing and if it isn't Laurelin it jolly well ought to be . The texture works really well.

Philipa - get those paints out and dust off those brushes .