DANU
(The Earth
Mother)
In April of 2002
I suffered a brain aneurysm. It affected me in many
different ways, not least of all was the effect on my work
as a Celtic artist. The pieces I now produce are based
around themes of continuation, future hope, conflict
resolution and growth, utilizing the ideas and imagery
contained in the mythology of the Celtic peoples. An
investigation of the lore of the Earth Mother, a universal
symbol not specific to the Celts,became my initial project
.
In Celtic religion Danu, or Dana, embodies the female
principles of creativity, birth, fertility, nurturing and
the cycle of growth. All things come from her, and to her
all things return. She is an eternally fruitful source of
everything. (Hence Earth Mother).
After much research, many varied notions and brainstorming
sketches by the dozen, I had the kernel of an idea, but one
with no physical presence. One morning I awoke as if a veil
had been lifted and I knew how my idea was to take form.
My sculpture shows a figure which is both of the earth and
from the earth. Originating in the dark shadows of the
water and rocks, the figure spirals upwards, embracing the
lush green of her heavily pregnant belly and the growing
vines of the tree of life generated from her hair. The
piece terminates in the faceless golden sun of a new day.
My Earth Mother represents the interconnectedness of nature
and humanity and the cyclical character of existence. She
embodies the past, present and the future as ancient ideas
meld with present hopes for new beginnings. She is, and
always will be, the genesis of the Earth’s
bounty