A photorealistic Rivendell art print, created entirely by hand as a digital matte painting, with no AI or machine learning used.
Rivendell is the place in Middle‑earth where I could imagine living quietly, drawing and painting, with no great wish to leave. It has always felt to me like a refuge from the rest of the world, and I wanted to capture something of that feeling of utmost serenity.
This project began as something for my own living room. I wanted a large image of Rivendell that I could get lost in, as real as I could make it. The work of Alan Lee and Dylan Cole was an important inspiration here: Alan Lee for his vision of Middle‑earth, and Dylan Cole for his own matte paintings.
This artwork is a digital matte painting. It was made by hand from photography, painting, and extensive compositing, not generated by AI. I also travelled to some of the real New Zealand locations used for Rivendell imagery in the films, gathering reference and resources for this piece.
The valley of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland is widely associated with Tolkien’s own vision of Rivendell. I admire that connection, but the Rivendell that truly stayed with me is the one imagined for the Peter Jackson films. In my opinion, they absolutely nailed it: a hidden place of rest and ancient lore.
I started this artwork in 2019 and returned to it many times before finishing it in 2025. It became a difficult, cumbersome piece. A photorealistic matte painting like this depends on understanding light, colour, perspective, atmosphere, and how the real world translates into a believable image. It also requires a lot of tedious work: advanced masking, painting transitions, careful integration of photographic material, and constant adjustment until the image begins to hold together.
No AI or machine learning was used to create this artwork. In a time when so much Rivendell imagery online is AI-generated, I think that distinction matters. This is a digital artwork, but it is entirely human-made: built slowly, adjusted by hand, and finished with the same care I bring to my other works of art.
This Limited Edition is printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Pearl, a heavy 100% cotton archival paper with a subtle sheen. It is my paper of choice for the highest quality art reproductions. It holds amazing contrast, deep blacks, strong colour reproduction, crisp detail, and a beautiful surface without turning glossy. I print each one myself in my studio in Sweden and check it carefully before I ship it.
Technique: Digital matte painting
Edition: Limited Edition of 250, signed and numbered
Shipping is calculated automatically at checkout based on destination and order size. As a guide, shipping for 1–2 prints is usually:
Sweden: around $9
European Union: around $40
Outside the EU / USA: around $43
Except for the cover and scale-reference image, the images are photographs of the actual print. Books shown in the photos are included for scale reference only.
