Title: Smaug’s Treasure

Artist: Madalen Dixon

Dimensions: (cm) Unframed: 30.5w x 40.5h

Framed: 46.5 w x 56.5h

Medium: Alkyd Oils onto stretched canvas panel. Varnished and professionally framed in wood.

Artwork Statement: Shedding light on the plight of the British Dormouse, ‘Smaug’s Treasure’ takes a light hearted approach to a weighty subject.

Already steeped in fantasy with a sleepy dormouse appearing in Lewis Caroll’s famous Alice in Wonderland, using a fantasy aesthetic seemed an obvious choice for the topic. 

Drawing a parallel between the famously sleepy dormouse and another fantasy character renowned for its slumber- Smaug, set the stage for a cheeky role reversal piece. 

An initial view of the painting might portray the Dormouse, as Smaug, protecting its precious crop of treasure. 

However, the true meaning of ‘Smaug’s Treasure’ is a little more direct, We the viewer are Smaug, the dragon responsible for fearlessly protecting our treasure. The Dormice are our treasure and we are responsible for protecting each and every one of the 930,000 hazel dormice now left in the UK