Cardigan Welsh Corgis

"The corgi with the tail"

 

I have been blessed to share my heart and home with some wonderful Cardigan Welsh Corgis. Until I had my first two, I didn't realize they could be the best friends I hadn't yet met. I grew up with dogs in the house, but these were particularly special. My first two Cardigans have gone over the bridge, but the two pictured above give me all the love and affection I could want... so long as I adore them back. (It's not hard!)

An ancient herding breed, dogs like these drove cattle and sheep for their Celtic masters and mistresses some 3000 years ago. Short of leg and great of heart, Cardigans have a long and fabled history even though their numbers have never been large. Tales associate them with "the little folk" (of which, more at another time). I recommend the website of the CWCCA for a more detailed discussion of this fine breed.

My designs often incorporate a certain amount of Celtic knotwork and interlace. Why? I like it, for one. Celtic knotwork and interlace express an ancient belief in the interconnectedness of heaven and earth, and the interwoven harmonies of Nature's ever-changing cycles. This is a philosophy I value. (I also get a lot of satisfaction from doing the designs by hand, not on computer.)

In my Celtic Cardigan Artwork series, I bring together my love for my dogs with their connection to the early Celtic folk who depended upon them.

See what I've come up with in
Celtic Cardigan Artworks
from Danforth Creative Design

A gallery-shop of shirts, tiles, notecards, and more!
also available as a textlist version of dog-gallery items

Aren't they Cardigan WELSH Corgis? What's with this Irish knotwork stuff?

 I overheard this question about my work while attending my first Cardigan National Specialty show, held in Ft. Worth (May 1999).

People today associate Celtic knotwork solely with the extraordinary works produced by the early Irish monks of Kells and Lindisfarne. Those samples show the style in its finest, most exuberant flowering.

Yet Celtic arts florished long before. Tribes of Celtic lineage once roamed over most of modern Europe. Their descendants still live in Ireland, but also in Scotland and Wales, Brittany (northwest France), Galicia (northwest Spain), the Isle of Man, Manx, and many other places. In some areas, their numbers are reduced and their unique languages lost, but a resurgence of Celtic pride can be seen on every hand. (Just type "Celtic" into Google or your favorite search engine and see for yourself.)

Okay, is it "keltic" or "seltic"?

 When the ancient Greeks encountered an early tribe of these people, they wrote of them as the "Keltoi." That suggests the pronunciation "Keltic" if you're referring to the ancient folk.

The Boston Celtics? That's different: say "Seltic."

 

| Home |

| Links | Galleries | Bio and FAQs | Pricelist | Contact me |