New Lord of the Rings Work, going out to Chris N. out at Local!!

Titled, "Bilbo and Gandalf in Repose With Longbottom Leaf," Acrylic on Canvas, 8" x 16".

This is my take on Bilbo and Gandalf out in front of Bag End, relaxing  with a few bowls of their much-cherished Longbottom Leaf.  I'm a huge the Lord of the Rings fan, regularly returning to the books and film adaptations every few years. (To everyone reading,  I am here to tell you that it is way important to take time out of your busy lives to revisit the Shire every once in a while.  Just saying. :)

I hope to grow up to be a Hobbit one day. The idea of a small, unassuming little Hobbit holding this unimaginable Power embodied in a Ring, saving all of Middle Earth by being strong enough to let it go is deeply profound and moving to me somehow. It touches on the idea of absolute power corrupting absolutely, and the mindset and temperament needed to retain your character in the face of it; to not be corrupted by it. Powerful stuff.

So I set out to capture an image that had a little bit of both light and dark; something that was both light and whimsical, and also has an element of mystery to it. Hopefully this idea comes across, with Bilbo's pleasant amusement and Gandalf's smoky aire... Let me know what you think below!

And, here below are the steps  I took to get there:

As ever, thanks for looking, and drop me a line with your thoughts!

New Completed Commission goes out to Will! This took a lot longer than anticipated, but I found it well worth the extra time and effort to put in.  Deciding which scenes to convey on the canvas, and also how to give the painting a sense of flow or design from the top to bottom provided many challenges to overcome. Let me know your thoughts! Here is the final effort below:

And here are most of the many steps I took in the process:

As ever, thanks for looking you guys! Next project n the works are a new Lord of The Rings and the Robbie Clockwork Orange- stay tuned!!!