Biography of Roger Garland
Roger Garland has been illustrating Tolkien for almost 20 years. His style is often very “fantasy” with strong colours and definite lines.
“I am pleased to have illustrated Tolkien’s world before the films as I am sure from now on everyone will be influenced by Peter Jackson’s interpretation.” Roger Garland.
Date of Birth: Born 1950
Education and career: Attended the Plymouth and Wolverhampton Colleges of Art and Design, where he obtained a degree in Graphic Design.Roger also taught Art for ten years in Cornwall, during this time establishing a career as an illustrator. In 1989 he established the Lakeside gallery in Cornwall with his wife, in 1991 they branched out to include publishing and a web-site to their business. They now own a second lakeside gallery in Plymouth.
Family: Roger Garland grew up on the Somerset levels. He’s now married to Linda Garland, Linda also dabbles in the Arts and illustration fields and has done some Tolkien illustrations. She has a degree in Fine Arts.
Calendars: Roger has done both a 1984 and a 1989 Tolkien calendar.
Book covers: In 1981 Garland illustrated a book cover for ‘Unfinished Tales’.
Other contributions: In 1989 Roger was commissioned to illustrate ‘Farmer Giles of Ham’, ‘The Adventures of Tom Bombadil’ and ‘The Smith of Wootton Major’. In and interview for the Council of Elrond Garland says “I love Farmer Giles of Ham for Tolkien’s observation of rural life and humour.” The books consisted of a colour cover and several black and white illustrations. He has had artwork shown in several Tolkien postcard books. His wife Linda has also contributed to the Tolkien Bestiary. Roger Garland has done several etchings for Allen and Unwin publishers. He has also done a number of original sketches and oils and he sells prints of his Tolkien art at his Lakeside gallery.
Roger is well known for his Tolkien artwork and Linda for her Goddess paintings, Art-cards, Fantasy, Fairies, Angels, Unicorns, Mermaids, dragon art and Landscapes of various degrees.
Influences: When Garland started illustrating Tolkien he felt confident enough as an artist to draw images he saw in his head, but this was after years of studying old masters. His main influences as an artist are the Pre-Raphaelites and French symbolists. Garland has also been inspired by his life in the west country of England, his youth in the Somerset levels was partly inspiration for his painting of “Old man Willow”. Now he lives in Cornwall and says “Living in Cornwall near Tintagel the seat of King Arthur andthe whole region steeped in mythology also fires my imagination.”
The future: Roger Garland has moved away from illustrating books and is now working on art inspired by Italian landscapes, though he is continuing to sell limited edition Tolkien prints at his Lakeside galleries and over the internet.
Written by LadyMeg. Edited by k.
