Interview With Ted Nasmith,
Tolkien Artist (added February 3, 2004)
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] A couple of months ago, I happened to visit the website of artist, Ted Nasmith. I browsed through his online art gallery and simply love his work! Then I noticed that one of the soft cover books I have, The Hobbit, has his beautiful Tolkien artwork on the cover. I wrote him to see if he would like to do an interview and share his story. He was so sweet and even during his busy time, has agreed to...
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] Ted, did you have a great exposure to art when you were young? Did you dream of becoming the artist you are today?
[Ted Nasmith] I was exposed to book illustrations and movies and TV when I was young, as well as living in France for 3 years as a toddler. I don't remember dreaming of being an artist, in particular, but I was a dreamer! It was mostly upon entering high school that I was made aware of the obvious; that I was meant to draw professionally.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] While studying art, what artistic tools were you drawn to? Is there a particular piece of advice that helped you most with art?
[Ted Nasmith] I was drawn to painting in tempera mostly, and a natural gift for realism. As to advice, a key bit of it came later from my first employer: Always give your client a little more than they expect.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] What influence did J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings book have on you and your art?
[Ted Nasmith] Originally I'd wanted to go into car illustration, and later more or less fell into architectural rendering, but it was after reading The Lord of the Rings that I discovered a truly deep artistic passion. It gradually steered me away from my everyday architectural work, and increasingly into Tolkien art as a serious pursuit. The body of work that accumulated from this 'hobby' led directly to being ready when the opportunity for its publication eventually arose.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] What gave you the idea to have your Tolkien art published? How did you find out who to contact to consider your artwork?
[Ted Nasmith] It was seeing the annual Tolkien calendars. Once I realized that they were publishing art from anyone who could reasonably expect to be published, it was my ambition to get my work into one. After a few unsuccessful tries in the 70s and mid-80s, I was contacted about having someone from Tolkien's publishers meet me at Worldcon (Ottawa '85 I think) in order to assess my work. That led to its being included in the '87 Tolkien Calendar.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] Once you got your artwork published in calendars, did anyone contact you about your artwork's appearance in those calendars? Did you have inquiries for more of your work?
[Ted Nasmith] Not really; though I had wondered if it might open a flood of interest in my potential fantasy art for other authors. I continued with architectural illustration and looked towards new Tolkien calendars hopefully.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] Were you required to sign an exclusivity agreement for your artwork in publications? Once the calendar year was over on the calendars, are you allowed to publish your artwork from those again as you wished?
[Ted Nasmith] It's a case of the Tolkien Estate having intellectual rights over published artwork based on the LotR, etc., so I wasn't in a position to resell the rights to the images. I can do so, but at the discretion of The Estate and HarperCollins. I can sell the original artworks with impunity, however, which I am doing.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] Through the steps of time, where can your artwork be found today? What is your favorite piece?
[Ted Nasmith] I feel I have developed my visions of Middle-earth to a high degree of sophistication, and am happy I've had as many opportunities to create that art as I have. I want to continue this as long as I can and my interest holds. There's a sense that the ideas will not run out any time soon, and that I've been fairly consistent in my interpretations over the years, so there's a continuity aspect I am careful about. I'm glad I've been able to devote attention to both LotR and QS respectively, too; each having its own special qualities. As to a favourite piece, I'm not sure there's any one I love above the others, but I am aware of which pieces I don't think were successful enough, and that spurs me to hope I'll have another go at them in future!
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] Do there seem to be many Tolkien artists? Do you network with other Tolkien fans?
[Ted Nasmith] Yes, I do network with both fans and other Tolkien artists. I think there are really many hundreds of Tolkien inspired artists out there, and many have their work posted on big gallery sites like Rolozo. It tends to grab you like no other work of fantasy.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] What do you think of The Lord of the Rings Movies released by director, Peter Jackson? Did you consider being one of the artists involved?
[Ted Nasmith] Yes, I did consider it, wrote to them in late '98, and was contacted by a producer in early '99. They invited me to be there with the others in NZ to help with conceptual art, and made me a nice offer. However, I was going through a personal crisis unrelated to my art, and in the end, being that it would also force me to abandon my freelance obligations and be away indefinitely, I reluctantly declined, settling the question in my mind after very careful deliberation. It was a difficult decision.
I've really enjoyed what Jackson has accomplished--with some reservations about his changes, or the 'hollywood factor'. But it's almost impossible to comprehend the amount of work it took to achieve that, something which is impressive in itself, and the films will only be properly assessed over time, I expect. I feel apprehensive about issues of the confusion two separate Lord of the Rings may create--the original book and now the movie. We'll have to see if that becomes a significant problem over time.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] What are you currently working on?
[Ted Nasmith] I am in the latter stages of a new, additional set of 25 illustrations for The Silmarillion, which will be published in an expanded edition this September. I think it is some of my best Tolkien art yet.
[Wendy at Dreamish.com] You have your artwork displayed on your website http://www.tednasmith.com . Why did you feel it important to display your artwork and information on the website?
[Ted Nasmith] I get a lot of interest in my work, and after repeated requests for a website, rather than leaving people searching Tolkien art archives elsewhere, I accepted the offer of a friend and website designer to create my site. The coming movies suggested at the time that it would also be important to meet the new wave of interest in Tolkien. It gives people an instant way to write to me as well; and I do my best to personally answer all letters. It has brought new friends and aquaintances to me, too, and a greater appreciation for the effect my art has had and is having on so many people.
Thank-you for sharing your story, Ted. I look forward to seeing your work in the Silmarillion.
- You may be interested to read more about Ted Nasmith and his fine artwork listed on his website. You will also find information on Tolkien games which feature Ted's artwork. I just bought the Lord of the Rings Trivia game for Christmas and our family loves it! To visit Ted Nasmith's website » Click Here
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