"Flight To The Ford"

"Flight to the Ford"

2021

At once the white horse sprang away and sped like the wind along the last gap of the Road. At the same moment the black horses leaped down the hill in pursuit and from the Riders came a terrible cry...

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien

Following up with my countdown of favorite Fellowship of the Ring scenes is the Chase Scene to Rule All Chase Scenes. Seriously, this scene puts all cheesy car chases in generic action movies to shame. It has high stakes, tension, emotion, beautiful scenery and camera work, very epic soundtrack, and just a touch of magic.

Flight to the Ford is such an epic, exhilarating, iconic sequence. Probably my favorite one out of the whole movie (together with another one, which should be fairly obvious). It's the first time that we've seen the Nine assemble all together since they've left Minas Morgul, which just adds to the sense of peril and urgency. I distinctly remember being completely nailed to my seat the first time I watched it, and flinching so hard at the part where one of the Nazgûl reaches out and almost snatches Frodo from Arwen. I remember also feeling disappointed when the Nazgûl where washed away by the flood, because I thought they had been destroyed, and already at my first watch I loved them so much. Fortunately for me there was a lot more Nazgûl to see in the next two films.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think one of the many strokes of genius in these films was to have Arwen do the rescuing. Glorfindel is a popular character, but the truth is that except for this scene his role in Lord of the Rings is fairly inconsequential. It makes sense to introduce Arwen this way. She is Elrond's daughter and Aragorn's betrothed... why shouldn't she go look for them? It also compensates a little for the lack of female representation these stories are known to suffer from.

"Leak"

2021

A tribute to Will McBride and his "Salem Suite" photo series.

"The Mexican Nazgûl"

2021

Self-portrait as a Nazgûl.

This was surprisingly difficult to make. It was a struggle to draw the face haggard and wraith-like and still make it recognizable as me. I am very happy with the result though.

"Bygone Strength"

2021

Study of an early 20th century athlete. 

"Steller's Sea Eagle"

2021

Steller's Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)

One of the largest, most impressive eagles in the world.

I am really pleased with this piece. Feathers aren't always easy to render, and this is perhaps my best attempt yet.

"Minds the Dead Have Ravished"

2018

These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished. Memory fingers in their hair of murders, Multitudinous murders they once witnessed.

-"Mental Cases", by Wilfred Owen

I did this series inspired by shell shocked soldiers of the First World War back in 2018, in time for the 100th anniversary of the armistice. Let us all strive to live in a world free of the ravages of imperialism and war.