Sciath Thrasnáin/Transom Shield
(34" x 15 3/4")
Completed November 13, 2005

             Photo taken after the window's final installation in the December of 2005...and still does no justice to the colors. I did change the levels (lightened it) a bit in Photoshop, as well as flipping it over so it could be seen from the direction that the design is supposed to be viewed. C'est magic. For the sake of clarity, the original color scheme and etching designs are shown below in the thumbnails. I'm just so proud of this piece, now. It's funny too, seeing that my appreciation for a piece is entirely dependent on how long I've worked on it. This one took me nine months from start to finish (I was still learning, moved house, had other commissions, avoided it, etc.), and it was over a year later before I could honestly say I was happy with it.

Quick note on meaning: This design was commissioned by an old friend and writing professor of mine, Bryce Milligan. We bonded in the classroom over our shared love of things Celtic, so it seemed more than fitting that I work in that tradition. However, as it was set to go over his front door, I wanted it to be more than just a piece of glass. In Celtic art, every line (and repetition thereof) can be said to have meaning. And for someone whom I both respect and care for, I wanted it to be a sort of amulet; something to draw in the good and push back the bad. I adopted the general shape of the Battersea Shield (350-50 BCE), and tried to pour as much into that mold as I could. His house is a very passionate place; full of science, music, art, and literature. It's a gathering place for both poets and intelligentsia, for madmen and drunken minstrels...I tried to capture this as best I could, and welcome it. But in the end, it's still a shield hung above the door. As a Celt, I hope he understands the significance of that.