Ketika about the aritst page

My evolution as an artist has been based almost exclusively on the study of Celtic art and culture, and the creation of Celtic designs, for over twenty years. All of this seems a natural progression to me since the Celtic culture is a part of my heritage. In order to more fully explore Celtic culture and design, and my heritage, I have taken four trips to England. In 1991, my father and I traveled to Cornwall to see the countryside where my great, great grandparents were born and raised.
On an earlier trip I had the great good fortune to see the Lindisfarne Gospels, in the British Museum. Seeing the original artwork was a thrill. Knowing that the Monks who created those designs had no eyeglasses or magnifying lenses, and nothing more to work with than quill pens and hand-made pigments, I marveled at the amazingly fine line, and tiny detail. I work under a magnifying light, with fine point Rapidograph pens yet I can’t come anywhere close to accomplishing what they did. I have the greatest admiration for those wonderful Celtic artists. I can only hope that my creations are a worthy reflection of their achievements.

A poem by Jennifer Kirkpatrick

The lacey Patterns fill the Void behind my eyes
Live in my Soul.
Creatures writhe in Fantastic Dance
Spiraling In
Spiraling Out
From the Center.
The Dance of Life
The Dance of Death
From Birth to Rebirth
Celebrating
The Eternal Return
The Round of the Seasons
The Wheel of the Stars.

The People of my Blood
Built Stonehenge
Built Avebury
Built Cerrig Duon
Glenquikan
Balbirnie
And Corrimony.
Built a thousand Circles
Of dancing Stones.
Lived in a Mystical Landscape
Filled with Spirit Forces.
Enormous Giants
And huge White Horses
Strode the Hills
Following the Paths of Power.
Leading the Dance
Spiraling In
Spiraling Out
From the Center.
I have walked in the Footsteps
Of my People.
Lingered beside the Silent Stones.
Drunk the Pure and Blessed Water.
Felt the Power
Of Ancient Places.
And their lacey Patterns
Fill the Void behind my eyes
Stir my Soul
Cry for Rebirth.
And so I labor to set them Free.
They run from my Mind
Out through my Fingertips
To Dance on Paper at the point of my Pen.
Colored by my own
Wild Imagination.
Spiraling In
Spiraling Out
From the Center.
Celebrating
The Eternal Return.
The Past Flowing
Into the Present
To live in the Future.

The People of my Past
Call to me
Live in me
Inspire me.
Their Fiery Blood
Runs through my veins
And though dilute
I feel its Call
To see the World
Through Other Eyes
That Others do not See
At all.

To send me an email click HERE

All material on this site is copyrighted and may not be
reproduced without the express permission of the artist.

       I can’t remember a time when I didn’t draw - constantly. It was a primary focus of my childhood, and a personal passion which grew along with me. Though I had no formal training, as I matured so did my art. By the time I was grown I'd became a proficient illustrator, and pen & ink had become my medium of choice.
       As a young adult I found myself inspired by such celebrated illustrators as Aubrey Beardsley and Harry Clark, and immersing myself in a world of fantasy art, inflected with elements of Art Nouveau.
       For my   first public show, at Sun River Resort in central Oregon in 1981, I created a number of pieces based on western themes: cowboys, Indians, and wildlife. However, after   that event I quickly returned to fantasy art, now influenced by a growing interest in Celtic design.