Pineoak ProductionsLord of the Two LandsImage size: approx. 25 x 17 inches
Framed size: approx. 32 x 23 inches
Judith Tarr is a master of historical fantasy. As an artist, a student of history, and a fan of her works, I was excited to be asked to do the cover image for Lord of the Two Lands. I chose to tell the story of the main character, Meriamon, in symbols. Meriamon's father was the last Pharoh before Egypt fell under the yoke of Persia. Meriamon was a priestess of a religion forbidden by the conquerors. With the God, Anubis, hidden within her shadow, it was her fate to undertake a perilous journey to seek the man her father had forseen in a scrying bowl of flaming water as Egypt's savior and next Pharoh. She must reach Alexander the Great and convince him to secure the Mediterranean coast before attacking the heart of the Persian Empire.
This particular figure and costume study has been very popular. It developed from an old black and white photo, circa WWII, of an elderly woman. She looked to be in poverty. Age and war had left her with so little, it broke my heart. Her arthritic hands could no longer grip the shaft of her parasol, but by putting the handle in the cup of her hand and using a finger from her other hand to steady it, she had achieved a graceful, elegant solution. I did this painting to honor that, and her.
Image size: approx. 16 x 12 inches
Framed size: approx. 26 x 22 inches
My good friend, Bill, (William B. Fawcett) hired me and our close mutual friend, Teresa Patterson, to help him create a coffee table book, The World of Shannara (2000), as a guide to the works and worlds created by Terry Brooks. Teresa, who had written The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, was to research, collate, and write this new "World of" book, and I was to illustrate it. Roc Fight is one of the interior illustrations for the book. It shows a lone Roc rider in desperate combat with an ambush of enemy Shrike cavalry, like three dimensional chess, Shannara style.
Image size: approx. 12 x 10 inches
Framed size: approx. 24 x 27 inches
Two signed collectible cards from the now out of print game by Iron Crown are included. One shows the image side. One shows the back of the card.
Medium: Acrylic on gessoed double thick watercolor board
This painting of Frodo and Sam on their way to Mordor has always been a favorite of mine. It was done at my home in Edmond, Oklahoma, where I had a 400 square foot loft that was a dream space for art production. Of course any opportunity to create art for such a prestigious series is a thrill, but this one was more personal. My step-daughter, Kiley Riley, was kind enough to help me out. She posed as Frodo, and her friend, Mira, posed as Sam. You can see the photo reference below. Frodo never looked better.
Image size: approx. 20 x 15 inches
Framed size: approx. 29 x 23 inches
This was the original artwork that was done for Thor for Ensemble Studio's game Age of Mythology. At 6pm Thursday, evening, I learned that we would lose the cover and large interior article of an important magazine if I could not deliver a top quality painting by 9am the following Monday. Because of that, I forwent the background and went straight into drawing the character himself, based on the Thor sketch that was done by my fellow art team member Mark Sinclair. This is why the sky that he is usually seen against is not in the painting here. I put in over 80 billable hours, but it got done on time, and in splendid fashion.
