Barad-dûr and Mount Doom
Watercolour
Commissions
Fore-edge painting
A fore-edge painting is a scene painted on the page edges of a book. Mine are painted on the closed edge, so the artwork is always on show: the book becomes something to display, not just to read.
Most of my fore-edges so far are scenes from Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: Bag End, Rivendell, the Fellowship, Gandalf and the Balrog. I paint to commission, so the scene can come from any book you love, on a copy you already own or one we choose together. Some traditional fore-edge paintings only appear when the pages are fanned; mine are made to be seen on the shelf.
Fore-edge paintings
How it works
50% deposit upfront, balance on completion. Typical turnaround is around 2 weeks once the book is with me. Pricing: price on enquiry.
Choose the book
Send me a book you already own and love, or we can choose one together. I’ll let you know what suits the scene you have in mind.
Agree the scene
Tell me the story, place or mood you’d like. I’ll suggest a composition and we’ll settle the details before any paint touches the pages.
I paint the edges
I paint the scene by hand straight onto the edges of the closed pages, so it’s on show whenever the book is shut: on a shelf, a bedside table, or wrapped as a gift.
Have a book in mind?
Tell me about the book and the scene you’re imagining, and I’ll come back to you with ideas and a quote.
Enquire about a fore-edge