celtic knotwork

[helenic]

I've just finished two paintings I started a few months ago, and added them to my Etsy shop:

Meditation Wheel
Acrylic on Canvas, 8" x 10"


Foliate Cross
Acrylic on Canvas, 8" x 10"

I really like these, although they took far longer than they should have. There's something amazingly soothing about knotwork, though, especially doing it freehand. You can get lost in fantasies that you're a cleric in a medieval scriptorium and things. And creating the patterns is even more of a meditation exercise than looking at them - not only the immersive precision, but the way that once you've got the hang of it you can keep going without really thinking about it. It's difficult in the sense that you have to concentrate a lot on being very precise with your brushwork, but it's very easy in the sense that you don't really have to struggle to create the image you have in mind - it flows very naturally, and you don't have to think about the design, just the details. Fun fun fun.

I wasn't going to do any more of these because they took me hours, and I figured I wasn't going to be able to sell them for enough to make the time investment worthwhile. But when I picked the foliate cross up today to finish it, it went amazingly quickly, so perhaps it's just a question of getting used to it. I enjoyed these, anyway, and I reckon now I've got the knack of it I could produce more fairly quickly, so shout if you're interested.

I'm offering these for $200 each on Etsy plus $20 shipping, because you have to price things in dollars. I was hoping for £120 each from UK people (free shipping) or maybe £200 for the pair. Prints are available as well.

Comments

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Those are really gorgeous!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou! They were lots of fun :)

[bamboozlynne.livejournal.com]

These are lovely. How much would a print go for? And have you thought about having them madwe into cards?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou! Prints would be £10 for 8x10", £20 for an enlarged print of 12x16".

I have thought about cards, but it's too late to organise them in time for Christmas, and it's not really worth thinking about seriously until I have enough designs to put together a set. It's an idea I'm bearing in mind, though :)

[skorpionuk.livejournal.com]

I own(ed) or borrowed a book on how to draw knotwork, and yes, it's very nice to do. Somewhat mathematical, but with a little bit of prettification also. Yours are good, especially since you say you did them freehand :-)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I didn't make them up out of whole cloth - various elements are nicked from various books I have with sketches of Celtic knotwork on gravestones and the Lindisfarne gospels and things. Although some bits didn't need a reference, like the dead basic plait around the outside of the cross. I've created my own knotwork before, but it's really time consuming, and I find it more meaningful to work from ancient designs anyway. But yeah, freehand in the sense of not using a ruler or graph paper or anything :)

[cerberuspuppy.livejournal.com]

Dwd, if I had 200 quid (and I wasn't going to spend it on alcohol and loose women), I'd totally buy those!

Also, hello! I don't think I've posted on your journal before :)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou and hello! Clearly I need to find richer less dissolute friends :)

[taimatsu]

They are wonderful. I particularly love the first one. I can't afford an original but how much are prints?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou! Prints are £10 each for 8x10" on photo glossy paper, and £20 for 12"x16". The enlarged prints should be high enough quality; I've got scans at a massively high resolution.

[lemonmerchant.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine why this movie trailer reminded me of you, but it most clearly did. I hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbNj4yikM9s

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Ha! Tantalising, but somehow I don't expect it to cater to my tastes :)

[the-lady-lily.livejournal.com]

1) Yay! Those are beautiful!

2) I notice from Etsy that you have sold On Green Dolphin Street. Also yay!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou! And yes, it sold last week, unexpectedly :D

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

Those are utterly beautiful. :-)

Hmmm. Need to think about prints. Of these and of earlier works of yours. Hmm. :-)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Thankyou :)

And aye - if I'm doing a print order before Christmas, I need to put it in in the next week, really. It's been quite low on my list of priorities, though. I'll definitely get in touch before I make an order to see if you want anything.