Jay Johnstone occupies a singular place in the world of Tolkien-inspired art. His stunning collection of paintings, manuscripts, and sculptures evokes the devotional craftsmanship of medieval monasteries and the imagined libraries of Minas Tirith – works that feel ancient, yet utterly alive.

Johnstone made his debut in 2012 at Return of the Ring, the largest Tolkien conference ever held, organised by The Tolkien Society at Loughborough University. His unique and fresh vision of Middle-earth astounded attendees, launching a career of global exhibitions. In 2014, his work graced the TheOneRing.net Oscar party in Los Angeles, celebrating Peter Jackson and The Hobbit’s nomination.

A passionate advocate for Tolkien’s artistic legacy, Johnstone lectures regularly at Oxonmoot, the Tolkien Society’s annual Oxford gathering. Most recently in 2021, he shared his deep knowledge of illustrator Pauline Baynes – an artist whose delicate, luminous style clearly resonates with his own extraordinary craft.

Step into a world where medieval illumination meets Middle-earth. Jay Johnstone’s breathtaking paintings, manuscripts, and sculptures look as though they were pulled straight from the monasteries of the Middle Ages – or the hidden libraries of Minas Tirith.

Jay’s work has captivated audiences around the world, earning him a place as Guest of Honour at the prestigious Tolkien Lectures in Aachen. As well as exhibiting and giving talks and lecture across the UK he has presented in Germany, Athens, Holland, Italy and the US. His art is featured in the renowned Greissinger Museum in Switzerland.

Jay is also the acclaimed author of three books that bring his artistic vision to the page:

• Tolkienography: Middle-earth Inspired Manuscripts
• Tolkienography, Isildur’s Bane – featuring commentary by leading Tolkien scholar Thomas Honegger
• Tolkienography, Bestiary of Dark Creatures of Middle-earth – with an introduction by beloved Tolkien voice Brian Sibley

Isildur’s Bane stands as the crown jewel of the collection: an extraordinary journey through two decades of artistry (1999–2018), offering fans a breathtaking new lens on Tolkien’s world — one that reimagines its iconic characters and timeless themes like never before.

Tolkienography, Isildur’s Bane is a deep immersion in Tolkien’s myth through the artwork of Jay’s Manuscripts, produced between 1999 and 2018. It provides the reader with a novel artistic rendering of Tolkien’s sub-creation, provoking new interpretations of its characters and essential themes.

“Johnstone’s artistic interpretation of Tolkien’s work warrants the same attention as that of Alan Lee or John Howe; his emphasis on characters rather than scenes or landscapes is itself a distinctive quality, but the iconography is what truly sets Johnstone’s work apart. Anyone with a broad interest in Tolkien’s work will find Tolkienography a pleasure to view, but those interested in Tolkien’s reliance on medieval and theological sources will find the book especially enriching. Indeed, this reader is unsure if one can properly interpret Tolkien’s work without referencing the iconic threads woven through the story; that Johnstone and Honegger have captured this thread so saliently makes Tolkienography perhaps one of the most interesting works on Tolkien published in many years.”

Lance A. Green
Journal of Inklings Studies University of St Andrews

EXHIBITIONS

2012 Return of the Ring, Loughborough UK

2013 Hobbit Con 2, Germany

2013 Oscars – Onering.net , US

2013 Tolkien Tag Barlow, Germany

2013 Tolkien Ting, Germany

2013 Greissinger Museum, Switzerland

2013 Oxonmoot , Lady Margret Hall Oxford, UK

2013 Ringcon, Germany

2013 Guest of honour – Tolkien Seminars Aachen Germany

2014 Oxonmoot, Lady Margret Hall Oxford, UK

2015 Hobbit Con 3, Germany

2015 Tolkien Weekend, Newcastle, UK

2015 Oxonmoot , Lady Margret Hall Oxford, UK

2016 LUSTRUMFEEST , HAGUE, Holland

2016 Hobbit Con 4, Germany

2016 Oxonmoot, St Anthony Oxford, UK

2016 Ringcon, Germany

2016 Tolkienshop, Holland

2017 Oxonmoot , St Anthony Oxford, UK

2017 Hull University Tolkien Centenary, UK

2018 Follycon, Harrogate, UK

2018 Oxonmoot, St Anthony Oxford, UK

2019 Tolkien 50th Anniversay Tolkien Society, Birmingham, UK

2020 Oxonmoot, Online

2021 Oxonmoot, St Annes Oxford, UK

2022 Guest of honour – Athens Tolkien Symposium II, Greece

2023 Oxonmoot, St Annes Oxford, UK

2023 Sentieri Tolkieniane, Turin Italy

2024 Oxonmoot, St Annes Oxford Bestiary of Dark Creatures, UK

2025 Edinburgh University Tolkien Society – Jays Tolkien, UK

COMING SOON

2025 Westmoot, Jays Tolkien // Lost PoemKansas USA

COMING SOON

2025 Oxonmoot, St Annes Oxford, UK

BOOK ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN

Tijaran Tales: SERIES 1-6 Francessca Barbini Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2015 -19

Aragorn: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Undervalued Hero – Angela Nicholas Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2017

Steampunk Writers Around the World – Volume I, Cover Design and page art by Jay Johnstone 2017

The Return Of The Ring Volume 1&2 Cover Design by Jay Johnstone
2017

Tolkienography Manuscripts of Middle Earth Jay Johnstone 2017

Tolkienography Isildur’s Bane Jay Johnstone 2019

Sub-creating Arda Dimitra Fimi and Thomas Honegger Cover Art Jay Johnstone 2019

Tolkien’s Library: An Annotated Checklist by Oronzo Cilli & Tom Shippey Cover Art Jay Johnstone 2019

On Eagle’s Wings – An Exploration of Eucatastrophe in Tolkien’s Fantasy Anna Thayer Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2019

The Sub-Genres of British Fantasy Literature AJ Dalton Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2019

Gears of Change (The Infinity Machine Series) Anthony Laken – Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2020

Death and Immortality in Middle-earth: Peter Roe Series XVII – Cover Design by Jay Johnstone 2020

Tolkien and the Classical World Hamish Williams Cover Art Jay Johnstone 2021

Osric The Extaordinary Owl Brian Sibley, Pauline Baynes &Wayne Hammond Designed and produced by Jay Johnstone 2021

Friendship in The Lord of the Rings, by Cristina Casagrande. Art Jay Johnstone 2022

Tweaking things a Little, by Thomas Honegger, Art Jay Johnstone 2023

Tolkien’s Library: An Annotated Checklist ( UPDATED) by Oronzo Cilli & Tom Shippey Cover Art Jay Johnstone 2023

Romantic Spririt in the works of JRR Tolkien by Edited by Will Sherwood and Julian Eilmann Art Jay Johnstone 2023

The Way Light Bends, by Lorraine Wilson Art Jay Johnstone 2023

Tolkien and the Gothic, by Edited by Will Sherwood Art Jay Johnstone 2024

Tolkienography Bestiary of Middle Earth Jay Johnstone 2024

The Gospel of Gollum by Ivano Sassa Nelli Art Jay Johnstone 2024

Gormenghast, by Mervyn Peake / Suntup publications. Art Jay Johnstone 2025