Detail


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Tree of Life Designs. Of all the decorative forms of Celtic art, the tree of Life is the one I have devoted the most time and effort to developing and understanding. The following examples are set out in chronological order to hopefully illustrate the Tree of Life's development from a simple bearer of grapes and mistletoe to a floral labyrinth bearing thistles, bluebells, clubmoss, acorns, roses and even figs. To my eye a Tree of Life should appear to glow on a page, as the background needn't be block filled, and look as if it had grown on the page. As a mark of respect for our Neolithic ancestors I like to include a few sprigs of mistletoe somewhere within in the tree.
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Tree of Life I and II 87mm. x 138mm. 3.4in. x 5.4in. Ink and watercolour on paper. Copyright James M. Summers 1990. Two of a series of four Trees of Life based on the varied applications of this motif in the Book of Kells. The pleasing simplicity of these applications make them rewarding exercises in basic draughtsmanship and good introductions for beginners.


	It Is Hunger. 255mm. x 560mm. 10.1in. x 22.1in. Ink and gouache on parchment. Copyright James M.Summers 1996. It is hunger, the third version of this quotation and my first attempt at a variation on the traditional Celtic foliage by introducing stylized thistles and bluebells. While I liked the individual elements of this work, at some point I literally made the mistake of losing sight of the bigger picture and ended up with a disproportionate final work, a mistake I learned from and felt that I corrected in the following work Red, Red Rose.

	Red, Red Rose. 510mm. x 290mm. Ink and gouache on parchment. Copyright James M. Summers 1996. Red, Red Rose was commissioned by Dr.Gordon Thom of the British Embassy in Tokyo. The uncial text is bordered on the left-hand margin by a Pictish knotwork matrix, the right-hand margin and top panel are formed by a Celtic "tree of life" growing from a quaich, the traditional flora being replaced with thistles and red roses. Red, Red Rose won the Association's Award at the International Calligraphers Association's 26th Exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in February 1998.

	Pro Libertate (details). Ink and gouache on parchment. Copyright James M. Summers 1996. In this sample from Pro Libertate the thistles give way to acorns and oak leaves, the plant emblem of the Clan Wallace, the Tree itself is rooted in a now customary quaich.
Dimensions; 124mm. x 56mm./4.8in. x 2.3in. (above) . 56mm. x 120mm./2.3in. x 4.7in. (below)


	Luceo non Euro (detail). 57mm. x 113mm. 2.2in. x 4.5in. Ink and gouache on parchment. Copyright James M. Summers1999. This example from Luceo non Euro has the tree tipped with stagshorn clubmoss, the plant emblem of the Clan MacKenzie.