S01E13: Courtney Davis

Shivam catches up with an old friend after 25 years. Courtney is acclaimed as the best known contemporary Celtic art designer in the world, His work has been exhibited far and wide in Europe, the US, Japan and Australia. Born of Welsh, Irish and Scottish descent in 1946 in Blackwood, South Wales, Courtney Davis has built a worldwide reputation as the artist who has re-awakened the exquisite artwork of the ancient Celtic masters in a contemporary style that is uniquely his own. For over 30 years, designs of his art have been applied to mediums such as cards, posters, fabrics, glass, jewellery, carpets and even in the form of body art. Many of his original pieces can be located in private and institutional collections, in chapels and museums. Entirely self-taught, Courtney's career began in the late 1960's as an engraver and designer in one of the UK's largest jewellery manufacturers, where his designs became popular and in high demand. His life was to change dramatically in 1974 when he had major spinal surgery and during his hospital stay he experienced a series of mystical visions. Those experiences, along with a deep feeling of personal loss following the death of his father soon afterwards, led him to begin an ever developing spiritual journey. He did not return to engraving and instead began to draw, adding Celtic inspired borders to his pictures. Soon, as his art become popular he created a range of cards and prints that became ever more in demand. Then, in 1984 he caught the imagination and spirit of the time when his work Merlin the Immortal was first published, igniting once again an interest in Arthurian legend. Inspired, he began to create a series of black and white prints which would go on to become the book that he is most associated with, Merlin Awakens. As he gained increasing recognition, Courtney went on to illustrate over 50 published books, such as Celtic Borders and Decoration, The Art of Celtia, The Celtic Tarot, St Patrick – A Visual Celebration and The Celtic Source Book that have become iconic Celtic Art classics. Read Courtney's full story and find his work here: https://www.courtneydavissacredart.com/ www.spirithorse.co.uk/podcast If you've enjoyed Spirit Horse Radio, please support our channel by giving us a star rating on Spotify or your preferred platform. You can also follow us to stay tuned for future episodes. Thanks for listening! (Excerpt from Celtic Countries Magazine)