Jay has exhibited across Germany at Ringcon, Hobbitcon, TolkienTag and Tolkien Ting. He has also given talks and lectures on his work and was guest of Honour at The Tolkien Lectures at Aachen University, Germany. Many of his works can be seen in the Greissinger Museum in Switzerland and The Middle-earth exhibition at the Lucca, Italy.

There are currently two books by Jay Johnstone; Tolkienography Middle Earth inspired Manuscripts & Tolkienography, Isildur’s Bane with commentary by Thomas Honegger.

The second book 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

Jay is also the founder and driving force behind the sci-fantasynetwork.com. This science fiction and fantasy online news channel was founded in 2015 and has a dedicated following for sci-fi and fantasy lovers. He is also the Owner of Hunter Johnstone Marketing Solutions an award-winning design and marketing agency based in Newcastle he founded in 2000.