As a prelude to this work, it would seem relevant to turn our attention to the early Celts and discover a little of what motivated them to create their wondrous manuscripts such as the Kells, Durrow and Lindisfarne Gospels.

Writing as a Celtic artist myself, I find it more than intriguing that Courtney Davis is producing these astonishing designs, yet has had very little contact with the early manuscripts. Inspiration is the main source of his work and, having met him at a preview of the recent designs, I would say that they would seem to be yet another clear and well-defined example of someone ‘carrying on where he left off’ — in other words, it is very probable that he was a Celtic scribe in a former life. Whether he would agree with this I do not know, yet his
designs point strongly to it.

These images have the rare quality of taking
us forward, rather than being copies of early
designs. It is this original approach, incorporating the Merlin Energy, that gives such spirit, vitality and magic to his artwork, as well as making it universally appealing.

In conjunction with this new approach, he uses most of the symbols used in the early manuscripts of Kells, etc., though these are modified to suit his particular designs, and he creates a meaningful contemporary art form of extreme complexity and exquisite beauty.