About this Piece
This comes from St. Kevin’s church in the beautiful and dramatic vale of Glendalough, Co.Wicklow. The cross is the most ancient and powerful of symbols: an encounter of the vertical with the horizontal, the feminine and masculine, temporal and eternal. The circle of the Celtic cross, implying infinity, gives it a cosmic dimension. This carving by Kathleen Smyth captures the serenity of the original.
Dimensions: 5.5 x 3 inches (14 x 7.5cm)
This piece comes with a presentation cotton bag.
About the Maker
Fellow artists Brian Scott-McCarthy and Kathleen Smyth founded Wild Goose Studio in 1970. Together with other leading Irish artists, they created a unique range of artifacts that take inspiration from Ireland's rich cultural heritage and the contemporary world. Each piece starts with an inspiring thought, an image or an emotion and is given a physical form by their craftspeople.
It all starts with the marriage of an idea or meaning with an image. One of the artists will then carve that image into a sculpted piece which becomes the original from which they create a mold, so they can then faithfully reproduce the image in full detail. The production process itself starts with metal powders such as bronze or cast iron which form the outer surface of the finished piece and the inner is created from a cold cast pouring. Once the piece is set, they polish it to reveal the beauty hidden beneath.
Many of their pieces reflect Ireland's Celtic history, with its stone carvings and evocative language, while others are inspired by contemporary authors, philosophers, and the moments and milestones in life that shape our human experience.