SEVEN original artworks created by two Lezant artists have been included within a special exhibition in Rome marking the 50th anniversary of J.R.R Tolkien’s death.

The beautiful illustrations, which are currently on display in La Galleria Nationale, Rome, were created by the late Roger Garland and his wife Linda, who have a permanent Tolkien exhibition at Lakeside Gallery, Lezant.

Lakeside Gallery was established in 1989 by Linda and Roger primarily to exhibit their own work, but also to promote book illustration as a serious art form and to make this accessible to a wider audience.

Roger and Linda’s work now adorns the walls of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome for a major exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the death of British fantasy writer J.R.R Tolkien.

Titled ‘Tolkien: Uomo, Professore, Autore’, the show dedicated to The Lord of the Rings writer was inaugurated in November and will remain open to the public until February 11.

The pieces by Linda and Roger included in the display are ‘Menegroth’, a 1978 illustration for ‘A Tolkien Bestiary’ by Linda, and six pieces by Roger: War of the Ring, 1991 book cover artwork for ‘The History of The old of the rings part Three, The War of the ring’; Middle Earth, 1987 audio cassette cover; Baradur, 1987 audio cassette cover; Luthien and Beren, 1987 audio cassette cover; Luthien in the Woods, 1987 audio cassette cover; Valinor, 1987 audio cassette cover.

Born in 1950, Roger grew up in Somerset and attended the Plymouth Art School and the Wolverhampton College of Art and Design. He taught art at Poltair School in Cornwall for ten years and established a career as an illustrator.

In 1989, he co-founded Lakeside Gallery, which features a permanent exhibition of Roger’s Tolkien-related paintings and drawings. Roger received his first commission from Tolkien’s publishers in 1981 and continued to work on the Tolkien titles throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

He provided the cover illustrations for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and most of The History of Middle-earth series. In addition, he illustrated The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham, and Smith of Wootton Major.

His artwork was also featured in the 1984 and 1989 official Tolkien calendars. Roger continued to work until illness curtailed his activity. Roger died in 2017 leaving a considerable body of artwork as his legacy.

Born in the North East of Yorkshire Linda showed an aptitude for drawing and painting at an early age with much encouragement from her parents.

She attended Scarborough College of Art which had a fine reputation and took her degree in Fine Art at Wolverhampton College of Art and Design from 1967 to 1970.

She met Roger at the same art college and together developed a secret passion for the Pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolists visiting major art galleries to stare at ‘real art’.

Together they began experimenting with the painting techniques of the old masters and saw book illustration as a future way of employing their newly found skills.

In 1976 Linda was introduced to fellow illustrator Patrick Woodroffe who gave her contact numbers for illustrators’ agents in London. As a result Linda and Roger joined Young Artists, one of the top London agencies and began a long career as freelance illustrators working for a variety of international and UK publishing companies.

One of Linda’s first commissions were single and double page spreads for ‘A Tolkien Bestiary’ by David Day published by Mitchell Beazley and the cover art for ‘The Complete Guide to Middle Earth’ by Robert Foster published by Granada Books.

Roger and Linda’s family are very proud to see their artworks being displayed and admired at such a prestigious exhibition.