The ABC's of Patterns..... K

K for KNOT...

It has been a while since I posted any pages from this little book I designed and made a few years ago..

...an Alphabet book of Patterns...

endless... no beginning... no end... eternal...

 on and on and on...

 Celtic knots also had this same element... 

smooth sailing... tight corners...

rather like life with it twists and turns....  and repetition of events

I cut the endless Knot from heavy watercolor paper ...  

...attached colored paper behind  making the image stand out...

 I remember how much I loved doing this project..  at first it seemed daunting,

then the more I thought and researched  and drew up ideas of  what could represent each letter 

and how I could  do the cutwork for each of them... 

it was like working out a puzzle... it was hard  to stop...

some were easier than others but it eventually all came together.

Years earlier, our Logo  "Becoming One"  evolved as a sort of endless Knot... with this eternal feel  ...

 twining  interwoven bodies...maybe a little medieval...

John hand-cut my logo design from Copper... it is about 7" - 8" across...

 ... we patinated it to this lovely verdigris color... 

which was then attached to the top of each of our Jewelry display stands ...

I  like the mottled effect...  it reminds me of old copper roof tops.

... our little black and white image appears at the top of each of our DESIDERATUM Art Jewelry Cards.

 ...a link to my previous ABC's of Patterns pages, 

going backwards from J.

approx. 6" x 7" x 1"... ...handbound... hardcover

One Thing After Another

...approx.  8 1/2" x 11"... a page in my sketchbook... drawing and lettering... pen, brush, ink, watercolor

Gwen Buchanan,  Desideratum Art and Jewelry, New Brunswick, Canada

Quote by William James

 

This quote feels intensely romantic,

 don't you think?

William James 1842 - 1910... Philosopher, Psychologist... Thinker
...brother of Novelist Henry James

*   i   LoVe  TypOGRapHy  *

.... especially Calligraphy

"When the fruit is ripe, a touch will make it fall"

...in 5½ " x 8½ " sketchbook,  india ink, crow quill,  FW acrylic artists ink, script brush

The ABC's of Patterns....... DEF

...from a little book I made...

D for Dragon... a fabulous creature representing spring to the Chinese and Evil to the Christians



The symbolic meaning of the dragon is sharply divided in Western and Eastern cultures. In the Orient, where it is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac... the dragon is seen as a positive symbol... with connotations of joy, health and fertility... protecting man from evil spirits...

In Western tradition, however, the Dragon shares the negative, satanic symbolism of the snake, representing destructive power, the defiler of innocence and the guardian of hidden treasure.
.......Sometimes winged, with a scaly body, lion's claws and lungs of fire... the Dragon's hybrid form symbolizes a primal unifying force...





E for Eagle... this is an ancient Mexican version representing power and victory...




With its majestic appearance, soaring flight and acute vision, the Eagle is a universal symbol and represents the all seeing sky-god. It also represents courage, height, thunder and storms...

As king of the birds, the Eagle is an emblem of royalty... an association developed by its status as the most popular heraldic symbol...

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, it represented the victorious Roman Empire on the banners of the foreign legion..

In Native North American cultures, the Eagle's feathers symbolize the suns rays...

Many states have adopted the Eagle as a symbol of nationhood and sovereignty, including the United States... where the Bald Eagle is the national symbol.





F for Fleur-De-Lys.... a stylized lily ... an emblem of the Virgin Mary...

...as it depicts a triple lily, it also represents mankind's body, mind and soul...




Also spelled Fleur-de-lis... meaning "flower of the lily" in French... a much used floral heraldic symbol signifying perfection, light and life... and traditionally represents the kings of France...

Its resemblance to a spearhead also links the Fleur-de-lys to masculine martial power...


Here in Canada, the Fleur-de-lis is the symbol for Quebec and they have 4 of them on their provincial flag... showing their connection to France...

It is also the symbol of Florence, Italy, known as the "City of Lilies"...

International Scouting uses the Fleur-de-lis as their main element in their logo...representing outdoors and the wilderness, which is the major theme of Scouting....




Each one of these designs have numerous meanings and symbols... I listed just a few...

...from my "ABC's of Patterns" book ... Click for the introduction of the first ABC designs....... approx. 6" x 7" x 1"... ...handbound...

.