Form-lines and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Art Show brings together two great loves of Tlingit artist Dustin Sheldon: the world of The Lord of the Rings and the distinct visual language of Tlingit formline.
When I asked Dustin if he would consider creating a Hobbit-themed exhibition to coincide with YAC’s stage production this October, I was delighted when he immediately said yes. Over the months that followed, he sent me new designs every few weeks, and it has been a real joy to see this unexpected world take shape.
The series began with an image of Gollum dressed in a Tlingit woven dance apron and grew into a collection of black-and-white drawings, each reimagining characters and moments from Tolkien’s world through formline. Set against deep black grounds, Dustin’s crisp white lines create a contemporary meeting point between Tlingit visual language and the lore, creatures, humour and adventure of Middle-earth.
Together, these works reveal Dustin’s ability to bring seemingly different worlds together with skill, imagination, and a generous sense of play.
– Mary Bradshaw, Yukon Arts Centre
Dustin Sheldon is a Teslin Tlingit artist born in Victoria and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. Working across drawing, formline design, painting, carving and public art, Dustin brings Tlingit visual language together with his own interests, imagination and sense of humour.
Much of Dustin’s practice begins with detailed graphite drawings, including designs for Tlingit armour, weapons and other imagined forms. Dustin has been drawing throughout his life, from character art to landscapes, and his practice continues to expand across materials and scales. He received a YVR Art Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship in 2023 and was a 2025 Artist in Residence at the Klondike Institute of Art & Culture in Dawson City. His recent public projects include artwork for the Yukon’s highway welcome signs and a large-scale mural created at Titan in downtown Whitehorse.
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