Eye See You
Lisa Draper
24” x 48”
Mixed Media
For Purchase inquiries, Contact lisa@draperfineart.com
The Lord of the Rings, Trilogy
"'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.
'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'" ~Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
History
J.R.R. Tolkien lost his father early in life. His mother homeschooled both him and his younger brother with a focus in literature, language, and botany. When Tolkien was 12, his mother died of Type 1 diabetes. With only a younger brother at his side, he was raised under the care of a Catholic father. Due to his intelligence, a wealthy sponsor was found, and J.R.R. Tolkien received excellent education despite his circumstances, eventually studying at Oxford. J.R.R. Tolkien served in World War I, where he lost many of his closest friends. After returning, he became a tutor, then a professor at Oxford.
Tolkien began constructing languages - on his own and with others - in his teens. After having a few children, Tolkien wrote The Hobbit (a prequel to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) as a story for them, and it was published in 1937, his first published full-length work.
The Lord of the Rings began as a sequel, and developed into a much larger series. Fellowship of the Rings was published July 1954, The Two Towers November 1954, and The Return of the King October 1955.
The Silmarillion, a history of Middle Earth, was published by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son after his death, in 1977.
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy are the main legacy left by J.R.R. Tolkien, whose works have been so impactful, the terms “Tolkienian” and “Tolkienesque” have been recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary. He is known as the “father of fantasy.”
Artist Statement
With the exception of the ring, eye, and color surrounding it, this entire piece was created from a single copy of Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in the trilogy known as “The Lord of the Rings”.
My admiration for J.R.R. Tolkien and his works has only grown as I’ve learned more about his gifted, tragic, and courageous life. If there was ever a story of triumph over difficulty with a happy ending, it was his. I feel that story of struggle reflects throughout his books, particularly in this idea of a hero who pushes to his absolute limits, and is helped - even physically carried - to triumph by faithful friends.