Gandalf's Brought F*cking Cake! (Lord Of The Rings) - Original
- This is my interpretation of the incredibly popular stories that make up The Lord Of The Rings entitled ‘Gandalf’s Brought F*cking Cake!’
My intention with this piece was to not simply create a stunning and vast landscape but to have some real fun with it and embrace the quirkiness of the Hobbits especially. When you are piecing together imagery that involves unifying a large number of individual objects a key challenge is to get the scale right or risk confusing or killing a piece. What was appealing here was that contrast between the norm and the world of the Hobbits, the fact that really detailed environments happened to be so much smaller and you would only know that this was the case when a character such as Gandalf came into shot.
My favourite character is Bilbo Baggins, I love the contrast between author and burglar! So, I have focused in on his world, his house and in this case, his 111th birthday, true to say he’s getting on a bit now, he may even be shrinking but it’s ok because Gandalf’s just turned up and he’s brought f*cking cake!’ This sets the tone for the piece, just good fun in a whimsical setting that embraces colour and light and has wonderful magical details that interact and hide amongst the scene.
I wanted to bring some normality into the surrealness of the narrative and characters, and the birthday cake does just that, maybe it is the message on the cake or the fact that it is of Bilbo’s favourite icons - Dobby (deliberate not a blooper on my part!) that brings everything back down to earth. It’s a feel-good piece that you can immerse yourself within and decide yourself what is happening through the open door. Happy birthday Bilbo, you beautiful bloody blaggard! -
- Released: 2017
- Collection: Spellbound
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size: 54” x 41"
Commissions
When workload allows Mark embraces client commissions and has enjoyed amazing success to date. If you have been inspired by the work that you have seen and have a specific idea or simply a seed then please do get in touch.
Commission EnquiriesRelated Items
Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Lord Of the Rings) - The Original
£4,250.00
- You’ll know I never shy away from a beautiful forest scene when I am looking at creating an enchanting piece and here is one that really is wonderful. I spend considerable time looking into the filming locations for The Lord of the Rings and there were two front runners - the Mararoa River and the enchanting Fangorn Forest, both in New Zealand. My 2017 piece entitled ‘Gandalf’s Brought F*cking Cake!’ was really vibrant and quirky and for this current installment I wanted to do something completely beautiful in contrast to the other two bold and brutal pieces of this collection. From those who have studied my portfolio you will see a good number of horses featured and you will be forgiven to think that I am a keen rider yet no, no chance! However, I find them incredibly powerful and mysterious and perfectly fitting for this scene where we see Gandalf’s horse ‘Shadowfax’ galloping through the trees towards you. This was always going to be a piece that wasn’t crammed full of references instead using the intensity of the forest and scenery to draw you in. There are subtle details that stop you in your tracks and changes things completely, again showing how darkness can reside in such close proximity to the light. Key characters feature within the piece, some more blatant than others but a powerful addition to my work as they make strong eye contact with you which I love. The longer you study this piece you will hopefully see the relevance to the title and apt saying that ‘Not all those who wander are lost’, a classic example of how my work can take on a new dimension from a secondary, more personal narrative that is woven into the concept. I will leave it to you to interpret what you see how you wish.
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- Released: 2020
- Collection: Spellbound
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size (Approx): 54” x 41"
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- Get in touch for overseas delivery
- Available for immediate despatch!
X Never, Ever Marks The Spot! (Indiana Jones) - Original
- This is my interpretation of the 1980s classic film Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade entitled ‘‘X Never, Ever Marks the Spot!’ a classic quote taken from the film.
My aim for this piece was to simply embrace all that is brilliant about the movie and what has made it achieve iconic status for so many rather than trying to inject a deeper, more surreal narrative that could possibly be missed. So what we see is an engaging and dramatic scene that focuses on the temple and surrounding cliffs, so much detail from the film is there to be explored and enjoyed, some blatant, some requires a little more searching.
As with so many of my pieces you don’t get to see the characters, instead it is these objects and their positioning as well as other subtle detailing that creates an open-ended image that is designed to be interpreted however you see it playing out in your head, you pick up the pieces and run with it!
For me personally, I loved the battle between Indiana, his Father and the Germans with the tank and aircraft being key objects that always stood out so I have used these as the focal point. Something is definitely kicking off within the temple itself, look closely and you will see that the Zeppelin overhead that is exploding into flames looks to have been caught by something coming from the temple, forces are clearly at work here!
I loved the bond between Indiana and his father and how both of their attire are so well known, this plays a key part within the detail. The colours are vivid and intense and have been injected to really make this piece hit you right between the eyes and bring back some great memories! -
- Released: 2017
- Collection: Spellbound
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size: 54” x 41"
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My Spirit Will Live On (Pirates Of The Caribbean) - Original
- This is my interpretation of The Pirates Of The Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl entitled ‘My Spirit Will Live On’.
My intention has always been to follow up on the 2016 Goonies piece ‘Hey You Guuuys’ and to create something that complements and contrasts, to showcase the enchantment of the pirate ship but in a different way. The narrative surrounding the Black Pearl is fascinating, being burned and send to the sea bed before being resurrected and setting sail. The curse that surrounds the Pirates who turn to skeletons in the moonlight is another factor that I wanted to explore.
The aim was to create a scene that was blissfully still and tranquil yet showing a much darker side to it through the canons firing and the detail within the foreground. It is a case of creating a truly open-ended piece because of details included and things happening out of shot that will hopefully fuel the imagination of the viewer as to what has happened to Captain Jack Sparrow. Has he met his fate? The skeletal hand that rises out of the water towards the necklace has his jewelled ring, a simple case of taking treasure or much worse, could Jack have turned?
One of Jack’s iconic quotes is ‘My Spirit Will Live On’ and I feel that it is perfect for this piece, as well as it visibly being a cool Pirate scene there is a deeper side for consideration - his silhouette forms part of the cliff looking out towards the ship and the sea, the spirit remains… -
- Released: 2017
- Collection: Spellbound
- Specification: 1 of 1 original framed embellished canvas, hand signed by artist.
- Image Size: 48” x 36"
- Framed Size: 54” x 41"