ARTIST STATEMENT

Jen Delyth

Celtic poet and playright Fiona Macleod writes in 1902:

"There may arise a new interpretation of certain great symbolic persons and incidents in the old mythology. As this legendary lore is being swiftly forgotten, it is well that it should be saved to new meanings and new beauty, by the mythopoetic faculty which, in the Celtic imagination, is as a wing continually uplifting fallen dreams to the unaging wind of the Spirit"

 I am intrigued by the marriage of old and new, ancient and future. This work is a personal journey into the language of Celtic myth and symbol, the beauty of nature, a simple interpretation of Celtic spirituality expressing the Mystery of the inter-connectedness and balance of all things. By working with ancient metaphors and traditional motifs, I explore the symmetry of form and symbol that best expresses living archtypes that form the heart of Celtic mythology and culture. Inspired, with respect to the old traditions, but creating new patterns with often new tools.

The Celtic tradition has its own ancient roots back into the cultures of the Neolithic and Paleolithic peoples who came before them. It continues to evolve, and is - most important to many of us working today - a Living Tradition. A culture that is expanding - as was always the case with the tribal movements and sharing of ideas, around the world - as the emigrant folk carry their stories, dances, music and rituals to establish new communities in other continents... such as Canada, North America, Australia.

In this spirit, I try to keep my work original, inspired by the folk motifs and symbols of the ancient Celts, but woven through my experience and vision as a woman, as a 21st century person, who growing up in Wales (where most of my family still live) made my home in coastal north west America. I focuss on adapting, integrating new ideas and forms together with the designs of the crafts people of the past, keeping the work alive, and flowing forward, with strong authentic connection to the culture and tradition that came before...

Although I am not affiliated with any particular branch of Celtic spirituality, my work often focusses on an expression of my love of nature, and all its Mystery. The Celtic tradition has a wealth of wisdom and understanding of the world - through a strong respect of life - the natural world of plants and animals, and also the inner world of active imagination and our psyche.

Our ancestors lived in more relative balance and respect of our universe, not the wounded complicated world that that we now live in. That is not to say that the world of the ancients was a simple paradise. It was often a difficult struggle to survive, and there was much war and bloodshed as today. We are people of the 21st Century - I am not advocating a return to the past - but with all our sophistication, we have often created a tangled and disintegrated relationship with ourselves, and our environment. Working with the Patterns, sacred images and ideas of the ancient Celts, renews my connection between the past and the present, the inside and outside, the seen and the unseen. Life in all its Mystery, and interconnectedness, through art and story.

My first interest in Celtic mythology was inspired by my mother, who grew up closely connected with Welsh folk tradition, through her involvement with the youth Urdd, and singing Welsh folk songs which I later also enjoyed. I remember her reciting parts of the Mabinogi that she had learned in school, and although I didn't understand the words, I knew that this was really special.
Later, I attended many folk festivals at ancient sites in Wales and Britain. Fairs and gatherings at special places, such as standing stones, and old village greens reach back many centuries. The creative celebrations, of music and dance, meeting with a motley crew of old and new friends, and journeying into the Mysteries around fires and amongst the ancient stones, inspired my creative journey.
I have always enjoyed working with my hands, as well as learning to understand the patterning through the images and folk lore. In fact, it was my interest in the language of symbols that lead me to become a self-taught artist, and not the other way around!

The journey continues.... There is a fresh and vibrant interest in Celtic tradition amongst many people around the world today - including the Americas, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Europe - especially in Spain, Italy, and of course the modern Celtic countries of Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany - as well as suprisingly far flung places as Russia and Japan - where people are intrigued and inspired by the Celtic music and arts. There have been other times of resurgance of interest in Celtic culture, and the late 20th, early 21st century will be remembered as a kind of Celtic renaissance, with much rich and fertile new work and ideas by many musicians, artists, poets, dancers and playrights - keeping the tradition alive.

 

"Y gwri yn erbyn y byd - Truth against the world"

Jen Delyth 2004