MEANING:
Here is an ancient Celtic Shield Knot design, found on the internet to have the modern day meaning of Fatherhood. Coop has done a lovely job of translating this to his woodcarving art form!
Dads
Are most Ordinary men
Turned by Love
Into Heroes, Adventurers,
Story-Tellers,
and Singers of Song
-Pam Brown-
The Shield Knot is an ancient Celtic symbol of protection. This knot was placed near ill people or on battle shields for warding off the evil spirits or any other danger. It can be made in several designs, but its uniqueness lies in its four distinct corners. A Shield Knot is usually shaped as a square or appears to be a square within a circle. Besides being a part of the ancient Celtic culture, the Shield Knot is believed to have been used by several other cultures also for invoking protective power.
What better symbol for the protection and nurturing of Fatherhood!
THE CARVING:
Our carvings are single pieces of western red cedar, designed and carved to be wall hangings. Each carving begins as a 1 X 12 inch cedar board. While we use power tools (Scroll Saw, Rotary shaft Tool, handheld detail sanders etc.), we use no laser’s, CNC machines or computer operated cutting machines. All work is done with our hands and eyes…
We cut the 2 dimensional blanks with scroll and jig saws (double-sized custom orders have to be cut with jigsaw). Carving is done with rotary shaft tools and disc grinders. The 80 grit sanding is the final phase of the carving process, removing the nicks and gouges from the carving tools, and finishes the shaping of the weave. The next 2 sandings with 120 then 220 grit finishes the smoothing and polishing. They are finished with Clear Danish Oil to seal the piece, bringing out the grain and the color.
