ABOUT THE COVER ©
ABOUT THE PICTURE
by Shannon & John Gresham
Nine Piece Celtic Deer and Dragon Set
13" x 13" in Prussian UG & Teal
$110.00
Shannon and John Gresham at Earth Song Tiles have been designing and producing high quality, relief carved, decorative handmade ceramic tile from their own original carvings, along with custom handmade field tile since 1995.
Handcrafted in earthenware clay, each of their carved feature tiles, accent tiles, border tile, mosaics and field tile are individually hand painted and decorated to order. The wide selection of colors and finishes they make available offers a myriad of tile design possibilities, direct from the artist to you.
Most of the feature tiles have a hole in the back, so as well as being permanently installed, they can easily be displayed on their own as artwork. Impervious to moisture, sunlight and heat, ceramic tiles can be displayed in places where other artwork could be damaged, many of their decorative ceramic tiles can also be used as coasters and trivets.
Earth Song Studio ceramic tiles are hand crafted by the team effort of John and Shannon Gresham in their home studio on Gabriola Island, off the west coast of British Columbia Canada.
Shannon, a self taught artist designs and carves all the original tiles in porcelain. She has a background working in various mediums, including gemstone carving and has won awards for her innovative and intricate bead work, from which she derived her love for detail. Inspired by the natural beauty of the west cost, history and her Irish background, Shannon's wide range of themes include nature, botanical, mythological and Celtic designs.
John, has a background in industrial pattern making for foundries, carpentry and instrument building applies his craftsmanship skills to the making of the tiles.
He has developed his own unique tools and techniques for mold making,
tile production and firing.
While experimenting with making tiles for their own home, Shannon and John realized the combination of their skills was perfect for this craft. It was love at first tile, and they have devoted their full time to the making of unique and highest quality handcrafted tiles, which have made their way into homes, shops and restaurants the world over, since 1995.
The nine piece Celtic Deer and Dragon Set shown on our cover measures 13" x 13". The colours are Prussian UG and teal. This set is presently priced at $110.00. You may order this tile set, or any of Shannon and John's beautiful tiles, on-line at Earth Song Tiles; by telephone at 1-250-247-7424; or contact the Greshams by e-mail earthsongtiles@shaw.ca.
ABOUT THE VERSE
by Tira Brandon-Evans
I will bless the hearth
As the Mother would bless;
The encompassment of Bride and of the Mother,
On the fire and on the floor,
And on the household all.
Angels of promise watch our hearth,
Till white day come.(Adapted from: Smooring Blessing
, Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael)
This verse is adapted from the Carmina Gadelica. The Carmina is a collection of blessings, invocations, and charms collected by Alexander Carmichael in the latter half of the 19th century in Scotland. Although many of the verses are heavily Christian in tone, many others contain obvious pre-Christian elements. This verse, Smooring Blessing, is a traditional blessing of the hearth. Every evening before retiring, the Highland wife gathered all the hot coals together in the hearth and carefully covered them with ashes so they would remain live through out the night. In the morning, she would uncover the living coals, place a bit of tinder on them, and blow the hearth fire to life again.
About the Cover copyright © 2007 by the authors and content providers, all rights reserved. Used with permission. Top of Page
Earthsongs: International Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans copyright © 2007 by Elder Grove Press and content providers. All rights reserved. International copyright laws prohibit reproduction of or distribution of this page by any means whatsoever, electronic or otherwise, without first obtaining the written permissions of the copyright holders. We retain legal counsel to protect our copyrights.