It's a fascinating cultural development that just as tech giants are threatening to replace millennia of human history in the arts with the degraded mimicry of AI, a platform like Patreon is rushing to the rescue to help lovely people support the artists they value. I have been receiving enquiries from so many good people asking if I would create a Patreon, and I am so happy to announce today that my page is live at: https://www.patreon.com/MiriamEllisFineArt!
Your support of artists is a magnificent gift
When you think about it, all human societies are represented and sometimes even judged by the art they produce or leave behind. Our modern concepts of the Celts, the Roman Empire, the Norse, and countless other civilizations are largely based on the precious treasury of their manuscripts, metalwork, statuary, murals, and other works of beauty. We get to see 17th century life in the Netherlands thanks to Vermeer and Rembrandt, and the 19th century Impressionist painters have left us with priceless moments of getting to imagine being in their cafes, their gardens, their parks. It's almost impossible to imagine life without these paintings!
The Patreon idea is not a new one. For centuries, the world's greatest artists were able to realize their talents and create masterpieces because the wealthy families of Europe became their patrons. What is novel about Patreon.com is that any art lover can now become an honored and essential patron of the arts for the price of a cup of coffee. It turns spare change into a meaningful gesture which demonstrates that you believe that art should be celebrated in any good human society.
That small but deeply important act of becoming an artist's valued patron has never been more powerful. Today, all artists and illustrators are being faced with a marketing machine that would have the public embrace artificially-"intelligent" substitutes for human-created art. These mimicries are now all over the internet and on the covers of books and magazines as a cost-cutting efficiency. When you support traditional artists through Patreon, it's like a vote that says you value people over robots.
Why you might like to support my Patreon
I am working devotedly on illustrating J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful themes of recovery, escape and consolation as described in his lecture and essay, "On Fairy Stories". I feel that, in the tumult of hectic modern life, these concepts have a special relevance.
My method is to work as faithfully as I possibly can from Professor Tolkien's own descriptions of people, places and events in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and other supporting writings. By trying to be as accurate as possible to the sources, it's my hope that my paintings offer visual portals to places of recovery, escape and consolation to the viewer. Even a few minutes spent with the hobbits, the elves, and in havens like the Shire or Rivendell can bring peace and encouragement to Tolkien readers of all ages.
By becoming my patron through Patreon, you will be helping me to continue illustrating scenes of beauty in Tolkien's sub-creation, many of which have seldom been fully illustrated before. If you value the magnificent loveliness of Middle-earth and the Blessed Realm, and enjoy contemplating scenes of fellowship, joy, discovery, loyalty, fun and delight in the stories, your patronage will encourage me to continue exploring these themes.
All of my work is entirely hand-painted with no digital enhancements and no AI.
I would be deeply grateful for your support. Please visit my brand new Patreon page to learn about my membership levels. Thank you!