About This Listing
This is an 8x10-inch studio gouache painting completed on professional-grade cotton watercolor paper mounted to a cradled basswood panel. To protect the water-based gouache paint from moisture, the painting has been lovingly treated with a three-step varnishing process consisting of a spray varnish suitable for water-based media, an isolation coat, and two coats of UV-resistant gloss varnish. A signed label affixed to the back of the panel certifies its authenticity and specifications. The painting has already been framed by the artist in a hardwood floater frame, and comes ready to hang! Including the frame, the full dimensions of this piece are 9x11x1.25 inches.
Bryana Says
"I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam," Frodo famously says in the third book of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as the two hobbits survey the apocalyptic collapse of Sauron's stronghold in Mordor. But it is not the end. Frodo & Sam (spoilers!) will beat the odds with a little help from some giant eagles, make it to Aragorn's coronation, & ride jauntily home to the Shire to plant Galadriel's mallorn tree. For a good many things, it is only the beginning.
When I decided nearly a year ago to paint Frodo & Sam in a way that would celebrate their special friendship, I wanted to position them in the context of another, more final ending: "Here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea, comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-Earth," Gandalf will announce later on at The Grey Havens as Frodo is preparing to leave Middle Earth for good & Sam is desolated by the impending parting.
This was an ending I did not want. When I first read the books at the age of fourteen, I read & reread this part wanting & wanting a different ending. I did not want Sam to go home to Rosie Cotton who surely could never share in the kind of understanding his experiences had shaped in him. I did not want this snapping of the ties that were for me the most compelling part of the whole story. Fourteen-year-old me was devastated by this ending & sad about it for days. It was a conclusion that really did feel like the end of all things.
“When I’m married,” I thought as a teenager, “I’ll like this ending better. I’ll understand how marriage can be a magic connection that trumps everything else. But I’ve been married a while now & my husband & I both agree that the legendary animal magnetism between the sexes is a far flimsier foundation for happiness than the easy but strong bonds of authentic friendship & equality. When we watch the movies, we hug each other at the parts about Frodo & Sam, not the parts about the less-thoroughly developed characters of Arwen and Rosie Cotton.
Tucked away in Appendix B, I find this not quite satisfactory but still significant comfort: “...the tradition,” Tolkien tells us, “is handed down by Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers & went to the Grey Havens, & passed over the Sea, last of the Ring-bearers.”
This is an 8x10-inch studio gouache painting completed on professional-grade cotton watercolor paper mounted to a cradled basswood panel. To protect the water-based gouache paint from moisture, the painting has been lovingly treated with a three-step varnishing process consisting of a spray varnish suitable for water-based media, an isolation coat, and two coats of UV-resistant gloss varnish. A signed label affixed to the back of the panel certifies its authenticity and specifications. The painting has already been framed by the artist in a hardwood floater frame, and comes ready to hang! Including the frame, the full dimensions of this piece are 9x11x1.25 inches.
Bryana Says
"I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam," Frodo famously says in the third book of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as the two hobbits survey the apocalyptic collapse of Sauron's stronghold in Mordor. But it is not the end. Frodo & Sam (spoilers!) will beat the odds with a little help from some giant eagles, make it to Aragorn's coronation, & ride jauntily home to the Shire to plant Galadriel's mallorn tree. For a good many things, it is only the beginning.
When I decided nearly a year ago to paint Frodo & Sam in a way that would celebrate their special friendship, I wanted to position them in the context of another, more final ending: "Here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea, comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-Earth," Gandalf will announce later on at The Grey Havens as Frodo is preparing to leave Middle Earth for good & Sam is desolated by the impending parting.
This was an ending I did not want. When I first read the books at the age of fourteen, I read & reread this part wanting & wanting a different ending. I did not want Sam to go home to Rosie Cotton who surely could never share in the kind of understanding his experiences had shaped in him. I did not want this snapping of the ties that were for me the most compelling part of the whole story. Fourteen-year-old me was devastated by this ending & sad about it for days. It was a conclusion that really did feel like the end of all things.
“When I’m married,” I thought as a teenager, “I’ll like this ending better. I’ll understand how marriage can be a magic connection that trumps everything else. But I’ve been married a while now & my husband & I both agree that the legendary animal magnetism between the sexes is a far flimsier foundation for happiness than the easy but strong bonds of authentic friendship & equality. When we watch the movies, we hug each other at the parts about Frodo & Sam, not the parts about the less-thoroughly developed characters of Arwen and Rosie Cotton.
Tucked away in Appendix B, I find this not quite satisfactory but still significant comfort: “...the tradition,” Tolkien tells us, “is handed down by Elanor that Samwise passed the Towers & went to the Grey Havens, & passed over the Sea, last of the Ring-bearers.”
Colors
I do my very best to make sure my scans and photographs provide accurate representations of my artwork, but please do be aware that due to monitor differences the colors you see on your screen may vary slightly from the way the colors appear in person.
Shipping
This painting ships for free within the United States. To arrange international shipping, please reach out to me via the contact form with information about the piece you'd like to purchase and where you need it shipped to. (Please note that international shipping for framed original artwork can be quite pricey, and you will be responsible for any customs fee or import taxes that may arise.)
© 2024 Bryana Joy
The artist retains all copyrights.