Tales of the Fianna
The land, the people and the history passed down through Gaelic folklore.
For this commission I created a traditional Celtic manuscript page on parchment inspired by a local Gaelic folk story.
The materials were made from natural sustainable sources collected within the Highlands and processed using traditional craft techniques including deer hide for parchment and lichen for pigments.
The story is one of the tales of the Fianna.
The once powerful Gaelic warriors, the Fianna are said to have been trapped by a Viking witch who took the form of a deer and led them into a cave before casting a spell on them, sending them into a deep sleep. They can only be freed if their war horn, dord fiann is blown three times, a hunter once found the cave and blew the horn twice before taking fright and running away, the Fianna are still there, half awake, waiting for the horn to be blown again.
artist with commission
Image provided by Paul Campbell/Northport
Image provided by Paul Campbell/Northport
Process
This artwork was produced using the techniques and materials of the medieval monks that created manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. The parchment in this artwork is made from a roe deer hide, soaked in lime and then stretched on a frame to dry and be scraped smooth for writing.
The pigments are made from a range of plants, lichens and minerals. Woad is grown for its blue indigo pigment, lichen collected for purple and highly toxic lead carbonate cooked to make bright red lead tetroxide. The black outline ink is made from oak bark soaked to leach out its tannins and then mixed with ferrous sulphate created by bacteria feeding on iron pyrite. This artwork was produced using the techniques and materials of the medieval monks that created manuscripts such as the Book of Kells. The parchment in this artwork is made from a roe deer hide, soaked in lime and then stretched on a frame to dry and be scraped smooth for writing.
The pigments are made from a range of plants, lichens and minerals. Woad is grown for its blue indigo pigment, lichen collected for purple and highly toxic lead carbonate cooked to make bright red lead tetroxide. The black outline ink is made from oak bark soaked to leach out its tannins and then mixed with ferrous sulphate created by bacteria feeding on iron pyrite.