Middle-earth Journeys

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:18 pm**

They look wonderful together, Riv, and are nothing like anything anybody else is doing. It's like having your own Middle-earth to wander in.

Yes - I'd try replacing that white with a stronger colour and see if it makes it ping more. You could try browns or that deep blue at the top of the Ferry sign. Whatever you pick I know you'll get it right because you are so good with colour!

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:22 pm**

I think I will try Merry's suggestion about the browns/perhaps oranges. There is so much blue and green in the piece, it may all run together. I'll try a little contrats.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:35 pm**

I see great things coming from this Riv, really I do.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 6:53 pm**

I am ever hopeful.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:17 pm**

I'm cheating slightly here, because this next offering of mine isn't specifically a Tolkien-related picture; I've been reading Tuor's story for the Unfinished Tales discussion thread and at the same time I've been painting a swan. Tolkien tells us that Tuor loved swans, and he is guided by them in the story. So I'm sharing my swan with you:

Swan

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 7:58 pm**

Simply lovely marbretherese. Tuor would be delighted.

Posted: **Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:14 pm**

Very well captured marbretherese. For me this is my favorite out of all your paintings you've shared.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:32 am**

I like it, too, marbretherese. There's a sense of movement and of serenity at the same time--how do you do that?

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 2:33 am**

The water and the feathers have such wonderful movement! Really beautiful, marbretherese!

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:48 am**

Thanks everyone! it's my favourite too, Philipa: I still can't quite believe that I painted it. It's propped up in my studio at the moment and I keep stopping to take a look! I had no idea when I started it that it would look like this.

As for the movement and serenity, Merry: it might be because I painted the background very loosely, wet-in-wet, but I've been far more precise with the swan itself. I only used two colours (cobalt blue and raw sienna) and I'm thrilled with the way it's turned out!

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:42 pm**

Some (hopefully) good news...

I sent copies of the four current pieces to the Tolkien Society's Amon Hen. Got this hope response.

Thank you for sending these - they are quite delightful! As you may have gathered, I have to be somewhat sparing in my use of colour pages in order to be economical with costs to members, so I'm not sure exactly when I'll have a chance to print any of them and there will almost certainly be gaps between such opportunities, but I'll look forward to featuring them when I can. Since I'm using a colour cover on the upcoming (March) issue, there won't be any colour pages inside that one; as yet, I'm not sure about the following one - I don't want to get your hopes up unduly, but the May issue may be a possibility. I'll try to let you know when I do.

Thanks again,

Fingers crossed here for May.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 2:43 pm**

Wow that is cool Riv. They didn't say no and that's the important part.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:57 pm**

I'm sure he'll use them! He certainly likes them and I really do think he's looking for something a bit different and truly original after the 'paintings of scenes from the films' hoo hah. Wonderful. MeJ artists really rock

!

Marbretherese - I love that swan. Only two colours? Amazing! It's really beautiful.

Posted: **Mon Mar 09, 2009 6:37 pm**

Thanks, Iolanthe!

Riv, you've definitely done the right thing sending your pics to Amon Hen. They will appear eventually - Andrew always needs more stuff, particularly original items - and even if just one appears in May it's a start. As he says, some issues of Amon Hen contain more colour than others - there will be a specific number of colour sites which he will need to fill appropriately!

Posted: **Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:53 am**

Iolanthe is right, RR: I haven't seen anything like these pictures. It's a feminine take on Tolkien and I think it will have a lot of appeal. What else is on your list to do for this series?

marbretherese, I can see the contrast with the styles and control between the water and the swan, but what makes the picture, in my mind, is the back of the swan painted in a kind of wild way. I don't have the right words to describe it, obviously. But that's what gives it movement.

Middle-earth Journeys

Members' Art, Prose and Poetry