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Museum-Quality Matte Paper Print available in two sizes:
12" x 16" (30cm x 40cm): $35.00
24" x 32" (60cm x 80cm): $48.00
 
"And you were so special a gift to me, in a time of sorrow and mental suffering, and your love, opening at once almost as soon as you were born, foretold to me, as it were in spoken words, that I am consoled ever by the certainty that there is no end to this. Probable under God that we shall meet again, ‘in hale and in unity’, before very long, dearest, and certain that we have some special bond to last beyond this life..." - Letter From J.R.R. to Christopher Tolkien, 1944
 
The bond between J.R.R. Tolkien and his son, Christopher, is one of the most beloved in the literary world. Professor Tolkien devoted his life to sharing his lore with us all, and Christopher Tolkien carried on his father's legacy, publishing volume after volume of story and research. Here, you see father and son relishing the first sunshine after a long winter as they rest in the back garden of 22 Northmoor Road in Oxford in 1928.
 
This hand-painted portrait is based on a black and white photo that was published many decades ago by John and Priscilla Tolkien in a volume called "The Tolkien Family Album". I hoped to bring living color to this beautiful scene of family life and love. Professor Tolkien's green necktie and Christopher's mauve sweater echo the stems and blooms of the year's first crocuses in the garden, suggesting the very special connection between these two.
 
J.R.R. Tolkien was a sincerely devoted father, filled with affection, wonderful stories, and heartfelt hopes for his children. I find it very poignant to read his letters to them, and especially to think of his feelings as a parent in having to comfort and console them through the Second World War. Surely, all children deserve a better world than the one they are given, and Professor Tolkien developed such wonderful ideas about the "merrier world" of the hobbits. I would wish that world on all people of all ages.
 
Most of my Tolkien-inspired artwork is focused on his legendarium, but I am also slowly developing a series of portraits of his life, which I find so exemplary and inspiring. If you care for this one-of-a-kind author as much as I do, then hanging a museum-quality print of this portrait in your home could be a gentle and restful reminder of what you love.