Description
My First Portfolio in 40 Years!
PORTFOLIO ONE
This portfolio contains some of my very best Celtic Irish artworks. These artworks are based on the rich mythology of Ireland and have a story behind them. These stories are ancient and hugely influential in modern fantasy from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘The Lord of The Rings’. They tell of the different peoples who have occupied Ireland over thousands of years. All of whom have a story and history which add to our own human story that connects us all.
Read these descriptions and maybe they will even add more color to these artworks.
What’s inside?
First, you get all these prints inside a simple folder portfolio so you can safely store your prints or put the portfolio on display.
You will get a simple folder containing the prints you can use for future safe storage and display.
8 8.5″x11″ inch Metallic Paper Prints. The print Morfis the Druid Is signed.
A certificate of Authenticity with the signature of the artist and limited edition number.
THE DELUXE EDITION SOLD OUT!
Includes all of the above.
An A5 Signed print of Hughes Spiral.
2 A4 8″x11″ inch preliminary artwork prints of Diarmuid and Grainne
2 A4 8″x11″ inch line drawings of the origainl 1973 versions of Conan of the Fianna and Diarmuid and Grainne.
Print Descritptions
MORFÍS THE DRUID
I only ever published this seminal painting, which I personally believe to be my best work, once before, and that was in my book ‘ÉRINSAGA’, published in 1984.
Now it is time to do it justice with this stunning metallic print.
The painting depicts the mythical druid, seer, and soothsayer, Mórfís, who came to Ireland with the fifth wave of invasion by the quasi-mystical race known as the Tuatha DéDanann, led by their chieftain Nuada, later known as Nuada of the Silver Arm.
The subject, Morfís the renowned druid, looms large in the background while the foreground portrays a fanciful take on the shapeshifting seducer, the Morrigan, and her consort.
All are purely imaginative and we know what happens when things are left to my imagination. There are too many cross-references to go into in detail here, but the two plumed warriors are holding a solar flag symbolising the one true creator god, the Aten, a nod to Scota/Meritaten, reputed daughter of ‘heretic’ Pharoah Akhenaten, who is buried in Ireland and this important north African influence is mentioned in our most ancient annals
The plumed helmets and the twin horse decoration running across are intended to remind us of the influence of Thracian and Scythian culture on our various invading races who all seem interrelated and spring from the same source in Europe.
There are, if you look closely a few hidden codes and runes there too but have fun working them out.
None of this is meant to be historically accurate and artistic license is my excuse.
DIARMUID AND GRÁINNE
The tale of the pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne is one of a number of epic but sad tales known as the ‘Great Sorrows of Storytelling’.
Diarmuid Donn Mac Duibne, ‘the master and charmer of all women’ was, by all accounts a very beautiful young man who took the heart of a certain Gráinne, a girl of great beauty herself -but already betrothed to his close friend and warrior comrade, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, the legendary leader of the greatest band of warriors ever to roam Ireland, known as the Fianna Éireann.
Fionn had no intention of letting go of such a beautiful bride-to-be s and relentlessly pursued the pair all over the countryside until finally Fionn and his army caught up with them and their escort but peace was agreed upon between the warring factions. But in his heart, Fionn was still angry and unforgiving and when
Diarmuid was grievously wounded during a wild boar hunt Fionn allowed him to die. He went to draw water for him -for Fionn had the gift of healing -but each time Fionn let the water slip from his fingers rather than heal the gaping wound.
So it was that the beautiful and brave Diarmuid was finally parted from his beloved Gráinne.
This tale, the story of the doomed lovers Diarmuid Donn and the beautiful Gráinne, is one of the greatest of all the epic love stories in Celtic myth and legend and belongs to the Fenian Cycle of Early Irish Literature.
I have always been drawn to it and this final painting is my tribute to the great storytellers of antiquity.
I first drew this as a pen and ink work back in 1973 and reworked it, together with the sister work from that earlier period, Conánn of the Fianna, for my book ‘Érinsaga’ published in 1984.
The first versions of each artwork were black and white images and were much more simplified versions that were used as templates for a series of four-colour line art posters.
CONÁNN OF THE FIANNA
This painting of the hero and warrior, Conann Maol of the Fianna Eireann, of the legendary Clan Baiscne.
The Fianna were bands of young warriors, who, for various reasons were unable to fit comfortably into the patterns of tribal society. As members of the Fianna they were free of their normal tribal obligations and so devoted themselves to hunting and mercenary warfare.
Their leader Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool), was one of Ireland’s greatest warriors and a descendant of both the Tuatha De Danann and the Fir Bolg, two of the five tribes who came to Ireland in ancient times, conquered and were conquered in turn.
His son Oisin, after whom the Ossianic Cycle is named, was perhaps the greatest poet of the Fianna, is one of the very greatest of all the poets of Ireland and his work is still taught and read to this day.
Conánn was the son of Morna, the slayer of Cumhaill, the father of Fionn.
On Fionn’s assumption of the leadership of the Fianna, Conánn became one of his closest advisors and allies –while also becoming notorious as a great boaster and charmer. His warrior exploits became the stuff of huge admiration and sometimes gross hilarity.
His name was also Conann Maol, which is often mistranslated as ‘Conann the Bald’ when it is more subtle than that meaning ‘Conann the Blunt’.
He was also known as Mallachtán, which means insulter, as he often voiced how great he was, how deserving of respect and adulation, and how nobody else fared well by comparison, but there is little doubt he was a highly regarded and powerful warrior to have at your side in a battle or in an argument.
This very wild warrior did not take fools gladly and his sharp tongue is well recorded in the Fenian tales.
While he is renowned as a fierce fighter, his words lacked tact and delicacy but like his sword, came straight to the point.
In one wild encounter his skin is stripped from off his back and restored by the Shí who seal the scars by placing a sheep’s skin on his back which grows into his flesh becoming part of him, which probably did not help his quarrelsome humour.
It was never advised or wise to cross or jeer such a warrior. His enemies learned this lesson the hard way.
Certainly one interesting character, quite different and full of cynical humour, even his standard had a sharp briar on it to reflect his thorny nature.
How he died is not known but his grave lies in the Burren of Co. Clare.
CúChulainn Champion of Ulster
CúChulainn was the mightiest hero of the Ulster Cycle of pre-Christian Early Irish Mythology. He single-handedly held off the armies of Queen Medb of Connacht, while the warriors of Uladh (Ulster) slept a druid-induced sleep.
CúChulainn was finally defeated and killed, still fighting while held upright tied to a battle pillar.
As he died the shapeshifting war goddess, The Morrigan, in her familiar shape as a crow, drank his blood and brought him to the Otherworld.
CúChulainn had his name given to him by Cumhail, a powerful local king, whose huge wolfhound guard dog he killed, so he was bound to take the hounds place as the guardian of the fortress of Cumhail.
My painting depicts the fearsome 17-year-old Ulster warrior with his hair spiked with lime and dipped in blood, crouching, ready to spring, as he prepares to take on the invaders.
Fathach Poet of the Firbolg
Fathach was the Bard, the poet and battle-rouser of the ancient race called the FirBolg who were part of the third conquest of the island of Éireann (Ireland).
They came to Ireland after the Nemedians were defeated by Balor of the Evil Eye and his Fomor fleet at the Battle of Conann’s Tower.
They arrived in Ireland after the Nemedians but before the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann, according to the annals of Early Irish Mythological Cycle and may represent a historical settling of a genuine pre-Gaelic population in historical times.
With the FirBolg came two other affiliated tribes known as the Galeoin and the Fir Domhann: ‘Men of the Earth’ ie. farmers or perhaps more accurately ‘Men of the World’ or ‘Men of Wisdom’.
It is said in the annals that these three races, the FirBolg, The Fir Domhann and the Galeoin brought agriculture to early Ireland from the Scythian/Tracian hinterland where they originated.
What is certain is that they did settle in a lush semi-tropical Ireland and later faced invasion from the race known as the Tuatha DéDanann, the fifth race to invade and conquer ancient Ireland.
This new race, the Tuatha DéDanann, were descendants of the defeated Nemedians who had vowed to return to reclaim their heritage and lands but once again they faced a familiar foe, the mighty Balor of the Evil Eye and his Fomor army.
But first they had to overcome the FirBolg warriors and their allies to win and take back the island of Éireann.
This painting from my own ‘Book of Conquests’ depicts Fathach urging the warriors of the FirBolg into battle with the new invaders, this powerful and mystical tribe known as the Tuatha Dé Danann.
DAGDA AND THE WOMAN OF UINNIUS
The Dagda was one of the great omnipotent deities of the early Celts, a celestial father-figure like Odin in the Viking myths.
The Dagda was also one of the principal leaders of the Tuatha De Danann and was credited with much wisdom though many of the myths often treat him as an over-weight object of fun and ridicule, with a weakness for beautiful women.
In a reamhschéal, a preamble, to the epic tale of the Second Battle of MoyTura recorded in the ancient annals, Dagda sets out to spy on the enemy Fomor battle lines. On his way through the province of Connacht, in the west of Ireland, he paused to drink at the river Uinnius and is startled to see a beautiful, voluptuous woman bathing naked in the river.
Without hesitation Dagda, who is recorded as a very large stout man, wades into the river in expectation of a sexual encounter. The woman teases him and remarks on his large girth but slowly he comes closer and ‘caressed her as intimately as the water’.
‘You are a witch’, he said at last’.
And you are bewitched’ she smiled’.
From that encounter the Dagda learns from this sorcerous water goddess the secrets of the opposition Fomorian armies and their battle plans for the final conflict to determine who will control the destiny of both tribes and the island of Ireland.
These ancient and extraordinary have be described by experts as ‘the earliest voices of European civilisation’ but cannot be accurately dated as they are written versions by trained scribes from a much older oral tradition of recording history in a memorable manner so that future generations can carry the story onwards, as they have done right up to the present age.
Balor of the Evil Eye
Balor of the Evil Eye was the dread wizard-lord of the race known as the Fomor, or the Fomorians, the indigenous inhabitants of the island of Éireann in pre-historic times. According to the ancient manuscripts, after the Ice Age and the retreat of the icecaps, these seafaring warriors and settlers came from north Africa and from as far away as the Orkneys where they had, it seems, Scandinavian allies.
Early Irish prehistory is very complex indeed but the writer and documentary maker Bob Quinn, in his superb book and film series ‘Atlantean’, goes onto great detail in the historical connections and racial connections between north Africa, Ireland and Berber music and culture.
Balor had literally an Evil Eye, a fearsome weapon that could vapourise any who dared gaze upon it and he could use this fearsome weapon to sweep across a battlefield and incinerate all opposition.
Balor was eventually killed by his own son, Lugh Lamhfada, the great warrior of the Tuatha De danann who deployed a ‘Lightning Weapon’ to destroy the Evil Eye weapon.
Where Balor fell is remembered today as Loch na Súil, the Lake of the Eye in County Sligo, Ireland.
The name, O’Sullivan, is an Irish Gaelic clan based in Cork and Kerry, the name O’Sullivan comes from the Gaelic ‘Suil Abháin’, ‘The One Eyed’.
Arzach Tribute to Moebius
The character of Arzach is well known to all followers of fantasy and movie art and Jean Giroud, known as Moebius, was one of the greats.
Moebius the artist is an giant of the genre thanks to his huge output of books and movie work.
Moebius was at the forefront of a new wave of experimental comic authors, who gathered in the comics magazine Métal Hurlant (Heavy Metal) and the publishing label Les Humanoïdes Associés in the 80s. He was active as a comics writer, screen writer, storyboard and concept designer too.
Marvel comics superhero fans may know him from his mini-series based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s ‘The Silver Surfer’ (1988-1989). Both as Giraud and as Moebius he was one of the most important comics authors of all time, whose influence can be felt in several fantasy and science fiction film, comics and video games.
He was responsible, among many other movie works as the concept designer for the look of the earthly astronauts in Ridley Scott’s famous movie ‘Alien’.
He was also awarded the Légion D’Honneur, the Legion of Honour, the highest French honour, by the President of France and a French stamp was also issued in his honour not long before he passed away at a fine old age.
Hughes Spiral
This is a design adapted and inspired from a beautiful, iluminated spiral design in the Book of Kells.
It signifies Life, Death and Rebirth, echoing the ancient belief systems of the earliest prehistoric inhabitants of the island of Ireland.
Print, Paper and Postage Details
8 8.5″x11″ inch prints on the award-winning Hahnemuehle Metallic Rag 340gsm Paper.
Hughes Spiral and the Certificate of Authenticity are A5 8″x5″ inch size and printed on linen card paper.
The two preliminary artworks are printed on what I usually use for prints, Permajet Oyster paper 271gsm A4 11″x8″ inches.
The two line artworks are printed on Permajet Portfolio Rag 220 gsm A4 11″x8″ inches.
The portfolio folder is 9″x12″ inches.
All printing packaging and posting is done by my son Redmond FitzPatrick from his home in California.
Handling time is (currently 5-10 due to high demand) 3-5 days and postage with USPS is 1-4 weeks depending on location.
FAST 2-day shipping is available with UPS at the checkout. Please email us if you choose this option at contact@jimfitzpatrick.com.
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