Chris Down Art

A motif developed from a design in the early medieval Celtic illuminated manuscript the Book of Kells.

Contemporary design in the style of a traditional Celtic equal armed cross.

A motif inspired by the designs from the early medieval Celtic illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels.

Inspired by a sculpted head found in a round tower in Devenish Island in Ireland. I used this as my logo for a while back in the 1990's.

Inspired by a sculpted head found in a round tower in Devenish Island in Ireland. I used this as my logo for a while back in the 1990's.

A piece inspired by La Téne style iron age Celtic art.

Contemporary design in an old style. Four Celtic men face each other.

While I was designing a Celtic themed tattoo which included an owl, I started sketching this.

A design I produced in 2002 for my book The Crafter's Design Library - Celtic published by David & Charles Ltd.

A design I produced in 2002 for my book The Crafter's Design Library - Celtic published by David & Charles Ltd.

A contemporary Celtic design inspired by the motifs found in the early mediaeval illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The difference here is that women were rarely depicted in early Celtic art.

My take on a traditional design and published in my book The Crafter's Design Library Celtic in 2003.

An equal armed Celtic cross of the style found on carved cross slabs. I produced this for my book The Crafter's design Library - Celtic in 2002.

My take on a traditional design and published in my book The Crafter's Design Library Celtic in 2003.

Originally I did this design as a full colour book cover illustration for a book about Arthurian myths and legends. This is a line version I did for another book, The Crafter's Design Library - Fantasy published by David and Charles Ltd.

The equal armed Celtic cross has a long history. This is one of my takes on the genre. The central knot pattern is an endless loop.

A colour version of a contemporary Celtic design which I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced as an illustration for a book.

Design based on a carving on the Hilton of Cadboll Pictish cross slab in Scotland which was carved around 800AD.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced as an illustration for a book.

Adaptation of an image I produced for a book cover. A variation on a traditional Celtic three dog design.

A zoomorphic Celtic knotwork motif inspired by designs found in the early medieval Celtic illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels.

Adaptation of an image I produced for a book cover.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

A contemporary Celtic design inspired by the patterns found in the early mediaeval illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

Contemporary interpretation of an ancient Celtic knotwork motif known as beard pullers.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced for an illustration in the book The Real Witches’ Craft published by Thorsons/Element.

A contemporary Celtic design I produced this for my book The Crafter's Design Library - Celtic in 2002.

A contemporary Celtic design inspired by the motifs found in the early mediaeval illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

This is an example of La Téne Celtic art which pre-dates the more commonly known knotwork and primarily found on metal objects. It is a simple image with a lot of impact.

A contemporary Celtic design inspired by the motifs found in the early mediaeval illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

My take on a traditional design and published in my book The Crafter's Design Library Celtic in 2003.

The kind of spiral design found in the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.