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The choice of Celtic art was a natural outgrowth of my
interest in calligraphy and Irish history. Growing up in an Irish-American family, I heard
tales of the "auld sod", of the flight from famine and promise of a new land,
the tears and sweat and prejudice in the cities, the fierce pride with which they braved
the storms and found success, tales of the dark days of 1916, tales of ancient Gaelic
chieftains bearing our names. |
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Stories told in authentic
brogue to make us smile over and over again, stories told by the sons and daughters of the
exiled, wistfully told by those whose souls pined for the green fields of a land they had
never seen. As I came to fully understand the richness and strange, sad beauty of the
Irish experience, I began to explore the cultural heritage of Ireland as it related to my
art and calligraphy.
In the exquisite eighth-century manuscripts of
Kells and Lindisfarne I found a treasure trove which had largely been ignored by the art
world. Was it not possible to revive the style, could anything new be done? The research
of J. Romilly Allen, George Bain and others had revealed the methods of the ancients;
armed with this knowledge I began work on my own designs, incorporating elements of the
old Celtic manuscripts.
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The artworks range from simple insular calligraphy with knotwork borders to extremely
complex illuminated pages in the style of Kells. Some are older and therefore reveal a
hand still learning, while the more recent works reflect my current level of
accomplishment. In conceiving all I have tried to remain true to the Celtic style while
retaining a certain amount of my own personality in the design. One needs to maintain a
delicate balance in adapting what was essentially a religious art for more secular
purposes; while many of my works are religious, I attempt to design those which are
secular with the same degree of respect for and fidelity to the Celtic tradition.
The symbols and motifs used in Celtic art are often ancient, but
each artist brings a fresh voice to
their interpretation and new designs are not only possible, but
inevitable. In constructing new pieces I utilize ancient elements such as knotwork and spirals while
integrating my own original illuminations and artwork to create new designs. Celtic
calligraphic art has retained all of its elegance and communicative power into the modern
age, and remains as useful and vital today as it was over a thousand years ago. In
designing and creating new Celtic art I hope to prove this again and again. |
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~ Michael
Carroll |
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