A New Celtic Cross

I gave myself a day off today from "real" work, and drew and painted this encircled Welsh cross. I've done this one before, several years ago, when I became fascinated with Celtic knotwork and crosses during painting canvases for St. David's Episcopal Church in Austin.

This one was in a book someone loaned me, but I returned the book, and now can't find anything about the history of it. All I know is that it is a stone carved cross on the typical pedestal somewhere in Wales, and I had written "Ennlaun Cross" on the canvas at the bottom.

Anyway, I love fooling around with the counted elements of knotwork, etc. and the geometric symmetry - and also figuring out color schemes for them. For some reason this one went smoothly, and I didn't make but a few errors in the counting - unusual. My concentration was O.K. today, I suppose.

I'm also pleased with the colors I mixed - which, again, is unusual. The gold outline was done with my new Sakura Pen-touch paint pen, which I'm really enjoying, as it's so much faster than the little bottle of paint and a brush that I normally use. The gold isn't as pretty, but for an ornament to be stitched, it's O.K.

A word about this pen: It isn't good, unfortunately, for the actual drawing, as I paint out mistakes with acrylic paint, and the ink repels acrylic. Also, I have no idea how it would behave on a larger piece - such as a pillow or something for a church kneeler, as subsequent dry cleaning could make it lift to the surface. I would have to test it before using it. I don't like to risk disaster!!

As long as I'm showing off, I might as well do the other two - did them earlier in the weekend. I'm suffering from PPD (post project depression) after finishing work for a magazine deadline - so had to play a bit. I had drawn these two also several years ago, but never really finished choosing colors for them.

The second photo is the "Pen Arthur" cross - but, again, I have lost the source and the history. I had written "St. David's" on the original canvas I drew, so it probably is in the churchyard of St. David's in Wales.


The last photo is the cross at Maen Achwyfan in Wales. It is a magnificent stone carving on a tall base, dated at around 1,000 A.D., and shows Viking influence.

If I ever decide to stitch them, choosing threads will be fun - as I have to make a decision whether or not to spice them up with sparkly/shiny stuff for ornaments, or a bit more subdued for frameables. For right now, I'm going to put them away and prepare to do some responsible work tomorrow.