Games and Thrones

A year ago we all eagerly watched the last season of this very popular tv series. Let me tell you, it got just about as controversial as Trump being elected and Brexit. Tensions were high. Love it or hate it, the story came to an end, which, if we are truly honest, was the source of most of the frustration. There just wasn’t gonna be a great way to end it. We all had our ideas and probably should blame the author who couldn’t keep up with the show. Although, if you are a true true fan, maybe the right ending is still on it’s way in book form. All hope is not lost.

A little back story on the above painting – it was a piece I did for the 2016 Middle East Comic Con in Dubai. I was at my stand in artist alley when a bloke comes running up and asks, “Got any Game of Thrones art?” At this point I hadn’t even priced anything or worked out my setup. My husband stood next to me and being a little sharper than me, he shoved the original artwork in front of this guy (we did have cheaper print versions) and said, “Here, this is £220”. This man then proceeds to pull out a movie-like, fat roll of cash and peels off the measly £220. Our mouths hung open and our immediate thoughts were; Yay! Our first sale! and Oh man, we probably could’ve charged more! Anyways, turns out this dude was an uber fan who was on his way to meet Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) who was appearing on a stage somewhere at the Comic Con. He came by later, pleased as punch, with the signed version of my drawing. Apparently, Nikolaj was very impressed with the artwork. I sometimes wonder if he told Nikolaj that he drew it.

Initially I found the tv series to be a little too violent and explicit. I thought, Oh Boy, this is some serious virgin fantasy geek fodder. But then the show gained some traction and the hype got to me. So I’ll admit that I got back into it. The intrigue, the complicated characters and the journey that you go on is intense and denotes the show’s popularity. I will admit though that in my opinion the show runners/creators/writers fumbled with the ending. It was clumsy and predictable and rushed. I’m not sure about the background politics or the pressures that they were under, but a lot of the characters deserved better. The message was profound though. Nobody wins. In this world of strife, chaos, anger and war, we all get damaged. If you do win the throne, what was the cost? Most certainly, the valiant person who struck out in the beginning to claim the prize, that same person ends the journey in a totally altered state, having learned some things.