"...May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
This landscape was commissioned as a wedding gift for a couple who honeymooned in Italy. The bride and groom described this hilltop scene as their favorite view that they got to enjoy together during that trip.
I cannot explain how much I loved being immersed in this sun-drenched landscape as I worked on the painting - reflecting on the warmth and light that a loving relationship can bring into a dark world.
I cannot explain how much I loved being immersed in this sun-drenched landscape as I worked on the painting - reflecting on the warmth and light that a loving relationship can bring into a dark world.
You may notice that there are swirls intermingling with the clouds. The swirls coming from each side, to me, were a reflection of each life entering the marriage - the life of the groom in the swirls coming from the left; the life of the bride in the swirls coming from the right. The swirls intertwine in the center of the painting. I love the idea of two lives, joyfully intertwined, becoming the canopy that overlooks the landscape of a new life - a life that stretches away into the endless, sun-drenched future.
You might need a sharp eye to catch it, but there are a few phrases written in the sky. The groom is a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, so I included a few Lord of the Rings-themed quotes (transcribed in Tengwar script) that I felt spoke to the sacred nature of a new marriage.
(A huge thank you to www.tecendil.com and the very active Tolkien community online for their assistance with selecting and perfecting these quotes.)
Quotes:
1. Left: “…May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out.”
- From The Two Towers (book)
2. Center: “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”
- From The Fellowship of the Ring (movie)
3. “‘Take now this Ring…for thy labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness…herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill.’”
- From The Silmarillion
16 x 20 inches (20 x 30 cm)
Sennelier Aquarelle watercolors, gesso, and Prismacolor and Polychromos colored pencils
on Canson cold press illustration board
**Created on commission**
