Eledhwen's Art

[Eledhwen]

Eledhwen's gallery can be found down a short ginnel of drystone old bow-windowed shops - a confectioner, a purveyor of antiques and a specialist in fly-fishing, then a narrow green-painted door with no window, only a small sign saying "Gallery Open" leads through a dim hallway into a room with gnarled and uneven, but whitewashed walls. It is unexpectedly brightly lit through a large window in the back wall - south-facing and open, in contrast to the shadowy ginnel to the front. Few meander therein, and much of what is displayed is not for sale, save a few thumbnail sketches of local interest.

One wonders why she opened the gallery at all!

[Eledhwen]

From a book I am writing. This is the home of a sorcerer.

[Eledhwen]

A sketch inspired by a tree in the sunshine outside an old jailhouse.

[Eledhwen]

It could be anyone at the base.

It could only be Jesus on the cross.

[Eledhwen]

"Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed..." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the cente of the throne... Revelation 5:5

[Eledhwen]

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

[Isenho]

hey way cool! you handle the pen and ink really well!

[Eledhwen]

Thanks Isenho. This next one is a bit personal. Gold crucifixes are a fashion accessory with little meaning for many wearers; so I drew a picture of the cross, but how God sees it (though I haven't shown even a part of its real ugliness).

[Idril]

You draw very beautiful and powerful pictures. I'd love to see more:)

[Bergile]

Yeah, very bold and powerful.

[Scatha]

I simply loved the cottage, but must admit that, as an atheist, I do not care for the other work much. That is just a matter of taste however. Your drawing and inkwork is very good though! :)

[Lhunithiliel]

Ah! Eledwen! Wonderful!
And if Isenho says so... ;)
Who am I not to agree?! ... some immature amateur...:D

No, seriously! I LOVED the pictures!!!!!!!

How many talents have you got, girl?!! :)

[Eledhwen]

Originally posted by Lhunithiliel
How many talents have you got, girl?!! :) No more than anyone else, and I'm not a professional anything, according to the standards laid down on official forms. My oldest daughter has a degree in illustration, and my sister has one in Graphic Art, but I had kids instead.

Thanks, Scatha for your comments. They interest me - I was an atheist too until my late twenties.

[Idril]

Originally posted by Eledhwen
but I had kids instead.

Hey, having kids is great! and I'm sure you're a bril mom as well:)

I'm an atheist as well and still appreciate religious artwork. It's rather like Tolkien's work - his stories aren't true, but look at the wealth of art it has inspired.
I especially like the 'crucifix' one, and I thought of 'Posh Spice' and her diamond one:)

[Wonko The Sane]

I'm NOT an atheist, but not horribly religious.

But I don't think you have to be to appreciate the religious artwork.
The talent is there regardless. :)

Though my favourites are the house and the jail window. :)

[Eledhwen]

This is a soft pencil drawing (8B) of Frodo's meeting with Galdor Inglorion at the Woody End.

[Scatha]

Very nice Eledhwen. :)

As for the comments, I have been to church with my uncle, but could not find myself in it. But don't let that put you off. ;)

Every person has the right to belief as he sees fit, regardless of race, creed or color. (At least according to Scatha 1:01.) :)

[Eledhwen]

Thank you, Scatha. As for your spiritual life, I am very comfortable among people of all religions and none. I respect everyone's right to choose their own way. I have chosen Jesus, and although I will not shy away from saying so (even with my art), neither will I get upset when people tell me they're not interested.

My 8 year old daughter is reading FotR at the moment and I read a bit to her last night (I'm too kind!). It was still on my mind this morning, so I sketched it out. "...on the threshold there lay a cloack that had been Frodo's. Then for a while hope left me..."

[Doomseeker]

Great artwork there. The first one of the house is my favorite by far. The last one is cool too though. Pretty close so I'll say the first.:)

[Eledhwen]

I like the house, but I did spend a couple of hours creating it (hopefully for publication), so it's a more finished picture, whereas the others are 15-20 minute sketches. I remember thinking how Gandalf must have felt when he found Frodo's cloak at Crickhollow and thought the Riders had overtaken him. That's what I tried to capture in his face.

[Beleg]

Ergo! The best one is of Gandalf outside Crichollow. What I liked most is that the background is very visible and indeed nicely sketched.
Brilliant Work Eldhwen!

[Scatha]

I like the dimensional view of the hobbit's house. :)

[Wonko The Sane]

That's an adorable hobbit hole! You made it so hobbity!! It's so great!
TALENT TALENT TALENT!!!

[Eledhwen]

Here's my avatar (June 2003). I drew it myself (in Word Paint), so I thought I'd hang it in my gallery :p

[goofoofighter]

Hey Eledhwen! I love all of your work, but I'd have to say my favorite is that sorcerer's house followed by that 'sincross' drawing. I like how when you shrank that pic for your avatar, it made it look real.

[Wonko The Sane]

The MSPaint pic is impressive. Not many good things seem to come from MSPaint but you've proved that wrong! :)

[Eledhwen]

Here's my daughter's birthday cake (I'm no confectioner, but it was fun to make!):D

[Doomseeker]

That cake looks super sweet and yummy. :D

[Wonko The Sane]

That looks BRILLIANT! I can tell how you made the main cake part and the icing and the fence and sign...but how did you make the tree and the other stand-uppy bits? Did you use the bit of cake you cut out from the main part or did you put something non cake on top and decorate it? :)

I wanna know so I can make one for my brother's b-day! :) It's in January. :)

[Eledhwen]

My daughter is wheat intolerant, so the chimney and the tree are made from wheat-free cake. I had to cut it to shape, but using a biscuit cutter to straighten the sides of cup cakes then stacking them using apricot jam as mortar would have done it.

If I hadn't left it to the last day, I would have made the fence earlier with piped royal icing, and it would have looked much better.

The bark and roots (you may have guessed) is drizzled melted chocolate. I stuck the candles in the top of the tree - they were those long match-thin ones with gunpowder in the wax so they sparkled.

I thought of making the whole tree canopy (spun sugar maybe?), but apart from the lack of time, it would have distracted attention from the Hobbit hole.

[Wonko The Sane]

My brother is wheat-intolerant too...such a pain! EVERYTHING has gluten in it! :)

Thanks for the clarification. :) My brother will totally love it. Yay!
It's gorgeous. :)

[Eledhwen]

An excerpt from AELFWINE OF ENGLAND II By JRR Tolkien, from where AElfwine and co. catch a glimps of the lights of Elvenhome.

-o0o-o0o-o0o-

Then came there music very gently over the waters and it was laden with unimagined longing, that AElfwine and his comrades leant upon their oars and wept softly each for his heart's half-remembered hurts, and memory of fair things lost, and each for the thirst that is in every child of Men for the flawless loveliness they seek and do not find.

-o0o-o0o-o0o-

[Wonko The Sane]

Very pretty! :) What medium is that done in?
I love the way you have everything black and white except the lights of Elvenhome. :) YAY! :)

[Eledhwen]

I started it with an HB pencil to scribble in the grey (until my 6-year old demanded it back), then this morning I got out some pastels while I was on the phone to my daughter and added the lights and the black detail. It's all about 10-15 minutes work, but I would like to turn it into a full sized finished piece - if time allows! I've got a book to finish writing.

[Wonko The Sane]

It's really pretty...I just noticed the touches of subtle colour behind the mountains. Very effective!

What kind of book are you writing? If it's a children's book you should definitely think of doing your own illustrations. :)

[Eledhwen]

It's an everyone book. The house under the tree is an illustration from it. This link shows a sketch of the village at the centre of the story.

[Wonko The Sane]

Wow! Cool! :) Are you getting this published?

If so let me know! :) I'd love to read it. :)

[Eledhwen]

Here's Wootton Bassett Town Hall in oils. I couldn't scan it because it's too big.

[Eledhwen]

Here is the inside of the sorcerer's house I posted .here (http://www.thetolkienforum.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=297133)

[Lantarion]

Wow you have some excellent pieces!!
I especially like 'AElfwine', it's so wonderful and dark. :D

[Eledhwen]

Here's "Death of the Wyvern" - another swap out from the book I'm writing.