Hobbit Society

Last night's Hobbit Society meeting was so incredibly interesting. Eric Velhagen was such a neat guest speaker and his art was truly exceptional. I found it really intriguing that he got into fantasy artwork by drawing scenes and characters from Tolkien's mythology and that he took inspiration from more than just Lord of the Rings. I, too, took inspiration from Tolkien when I first became serious about art, so it's very reassuring to me that others (especially successful others) drew inspiration from the same place.

Eric's work is colorful, dramatic, and dynamic. He works primarily with oil pastel (which is incredibly difficult to work with, at least in my own experience) and the chalky, almost blurry silhouettes he creates really work in his favor; adding an almost dreamlike, fantastical quality to his work. Just looking at his body of work, that quality really drew me in and made it all the more exciting for me. If you haven't had a chance to look at his art, I strongly recommend doing so while our conversations from class are still fresh in your mind. I truly feel that's when you'll appreciate his skills the most.

-Varda*