Artwork by Ted Nasmith I’ve always found it fascinating how J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth continues to captivate generations of artists around the world. TheOneRing.net has proudly produced 6 art shows over the years, shining a spotlight on both professional and fan artists alike. I was delighted to attend the opening reception of “Out of the Shire”, a new gallery exhibit in tribute to Tolkien and his inspiring work.

Nucleus is an art gallery and store located at 210 East Main Street in Alhambra, California. It’s a charming space that sells various art books, crafts, t-shirts and more. The gallery side is perfectly set up for exhibits with fantastic lighting. The artwork was laid out in such a way that it allows each piece to stand on its own to be admired. And there is some truly incredible artwork on display!

Out of the Shire I Am No Man

Over 30 artists are on exhibit, showing a wide variety of styles – from paintings to illustrations, paper craft to sculptures, and more. I especially loved pieces that were original interpretations of beloved characters, not inspired by images from the Peter Jackson movies. You could see how the artist interpreted a character based on the writing of Tolkien himself, just as you do in your mind’s eye when you read “The Hobbit” or “The Lord of the Rings”.

Bilbo Meets Gandalf The Smallest Person Out of Trouble

Stand outs include the whimsical watercolors of Justin Gerard, an incredible fossilized Balrog by Tohru Patrick Awa, the lovely paintings by Caroline Hadilaksono, and a charming acrylic of Bilbo meeting Gandalf by Erik Krenz to name just a few. A special treat is the gorgeous artwork on display by TORn favorites Donato Giancola and Ted Nasmith. Keith Noordzy, who took part in our “An Unexpected Art Show” last February, is also part of the exhibit.

Ents and Orcs Embers of the Darkness

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I’d highly recommend you check out this special exhibit in person. It’s well worth a visit. “Out of the Shire” is free and runs until January 12, 2014.

HobbitDOSCoin1a4In conjunction with last weeks release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug our friends at Weta Workshop have released several new products that tie-in to this newest part of the trilogy. These latest products range from commemorative pins for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, No Admittance Sign, to your very own piece of Smaugs Gold Coin. These fantastic items will make a fine addition to any Middle-earth collection. All of these items are in-stock so order today and they will be on their way!

Here’s the full list of the new items from Weta:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Commemorative Pin $11

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Commemorative Pin $11

No Admittance Sign Prop Replica $15

Smaug’s Treasure Coin #1 of 5 $8

Elves of Mirkwood T-Shirt $30

Thanks to all who entered our competition to win the complete set of new Hobbit publications from Harper Collins. We had thousands of entries – but alas, only four people could win, picked at random from all the correct answers. Congratulations to Karen in America, Asimakis in Greece, Liudmila in Russia and Teresa in America!

Continue reading “Harper Collins competition – winners!”

TaurielLast night via his Facebook page artist Jerry Vanderstelt teased us with a great image of his upcoming print for Tauriel. Well, tonight this amazing print has gone up for sale! This print perfectly captures Evangeline Lilly as she played the character and the fierceness that the character has. You can get this fantastic print in 18×24 Paper Giclee for $75 and Canvas Giclee for $145. However, Jerry is offering a brand new size especially for this piece in 16×20 Paper Giclee for ONLY $35. If one Elf is not enough you can snag both Tauriel AND Legolas in the 16×20 Paper Giclee for JUST $60.

Tauriel Auto 2We have a pretty fantastic contest lined up for you the fans starting today! We’re pleased to announce that thanks to our friends at HarperCollins Publishers we will be giving away not one but FIVE copies of the amazing art book by Weta Workshop for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. This amazing art book is filled to the brim with great images of what it took to bring this movie to life. The cherry on top of the goodness that will be inside for the five lucky fans though is that Evangeline Lilly aka Tauriel has graciously signed these five copies. So not only do you get a great art book but you get one of the fine actors who worked on these movies signature. This contest will run from today through midnight PST on New Year’s Eve. Please when you fill out this form you must include your name, address, email address, and a phone number.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug: Chronicles Art & Design Signed by Evangeline Lilly Contest”

film cellsThanks to all who entered our competition to win an exclusive Hobbit collectible from the good folks at Trendsetter/Film Cells Ltd.  We had well over a thousand entries!  Congratulations to our winner, Cyra – enjoy your prize!

For those who didn’t win, Film Cells Ltd are still offering their special 10% discount on all Lord of the Rings and Hobbit collectibles at their website, just for TheOneRing,net’s readers!  Enter this code at checkout: 1RING2013    The code  is valid until December 24th.  (Within the US there is also an offer for free shipping – use the code FREESHIP.)

[Click here to shop at Film Cells Ltd or visit their facebook page here]