Welcome to The Oghamzone.   A website dedicated to the art of design, with new takes on traditional Irish designs, creative and innovative contemporary design. Showcasing upcoming and established designers and artists in Ireland today. When you purchase a piece of design art or craft from The Oghamzone you make a difference, as your purchase helps to provide funding to The Oghamzone Funding project. 

    The Oghamzone takes its name from Ireland’s ancient Runic writing Ogham pronounced ’ohm’. An alphabet once used by Irish Druids to remember stories and folklore. The Oghamzone also combines the imagination of the authors of the Book of Kells who used images of their knowm world to show the richness of the world around them.They used the spiral patterns seen on the Neolithic tombs at Newgrange Co. Meath, the La Tène art of the Iron Age, the Pictish art from northern Europe, Islamic and Hindu art from the Ancient East. These two traditions of  Irish oral and image story telling are brought together in The Oghamzone to show the intricate tapestry of Ireland’s creative past, its design present and innovative future. To view some of the historical influences on Ireland’s creative landscape, whether Gael, Viking, Saxon, Norman or Celt, click on the Ogham Oracle.
Click this drop-down for more on Declan Killen

Oghamzone Jewellery Catalogue. Silver pendant design based on the legend of The Children of Lir.

King lir had four children, Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra and Con.  Their mother the Queen had died and the King married Aoife.  Aoife cast a spell over the children turning them into swans.  This spell was to last 900 years, they were to spend 300 on their own lake, 300 years on the Sea of Moyle and 300 years on the Isle of Glora.  Only the sound of a church bell would break the spell.  The King saw what Aoife had done and banished her from his kingdom. 

After 900 years had passed the swans heard the sound of a church bell.  Caomhog stood outside his church and listened to their sad story in astonishment.  The Holy water he sprindled on then turned them into an old woman and three old men.  That night Caomhog dreamed of four swans flying up through the clouds and he knew the children of Lir were at last on their way  to heaven to be with their Mother and Father again.

The Children Of Lir Pendant
Declan Killen Design Studio, was established in 1985. Since then its catalogue has grown to include a wide range of contemporary and traditional design concepts. Working in silver, gold and platinum to the finest quality possible his studio workshop has gained world wide recognition for jewellery design. The Declan Killen Collection is available at leading Irish outlets including the National Museum and the Trinity College gift shop.

18ct Yellow Gold Sapphire and Diamond Contemporary Pendant

The Declan Killen Website

Click this drop-down for more on Ethel Kelly
Oghamzone Pictures and Prints Catalogue:
The ancient calligraphy of Japan is known as Shodou, which means ‘the way of writing’. The term ‘the way’ has always had a spiritual meaning whether it’s the Buddhists way of transcendence or the way of the light, seen in many spiritual beliefs.
 The ancient calligraphy of Ireland is known as Ogham. Here to, the calm still process of using writing as an art form evokes a deeper sense of poetry for the world around us. Ethel Kelly’s work represents a continuance of this tradition in a contemporary and vibrant fashion. Placing it alongside the patient prehistoric works of Ogham, carved on standing stones dotted throughout the Irish landscape and the historic Ogham tracts, contained in the Book of Ballymote. This new and dramatic style of Ethel Kelly’s continues to make its mark on today’s design landscape.

Love


Ethel Kelly’s award winning range of hand painted OGHAM WISHES continue to enchant and delight. At her traditional workshop in Knockcroghery village in County Roscommon each Ogham is individually painted by Ethel on hand made paper and beautifully framed in a contemporary black wooden frame.
They are quite charming in their simplicity!

The Ethel Kelly Website

Click drop-down for more on Billy Moore
Oghamzone, Artists Gallery Catalogue:
Billy Moore’s work is both rare and prolific, admitting that he works with an intense fluidity that abandons the world around him. His love of bronze as a medium vibrates in each piece of sculpture he creates, it is a medium he understands and exploits to its greatest advantage. There is a sense of belonging and harmony in his group forms, a rhythm that runs from a source to an undefined future point of the imagination. His solo pieces never seeming isolated in their environment but instead space merges into their structures.
Billy Moore



Billy Moore worked under Colin Grey at the Royal West Academy in England 1981-1985, specializing in sculptural form using clay, bronze and welded metal, Badu Design was established in 1998 as a business producing one off figurative ceramic and welded metal pieces. A development of the work into bronze casting along with Raku firing has provided a greater range which also incorporates garden sculptural form and Public Art Commissions. The studio includes a gallery hosting work by artists living and working in the North West.

The Billy Moore Website

Click this drop-down for more on the Josie Baggley Company
Oghamzone Jewellery Catalogue
View more the
from The Josie Baggley Company and the world of Rainey j. Gibney in our Artists Gallery Catalogue at the top of this page.
 
Steampunk Fantasia Pendant


 
Alice The White Pawn


The Josie Baggley Company.  Handmade pieces by Rainey J. Gibney- assemblage jewellery in Steampunk Style. A stylemix of Victorian, Industrial Whimsical, Fantasy with quirky touches giving you O*O*A*K pieces of art jewellery. Pieces of interesting art with depth & character for you to wear. Original Paintings and Mixed Media works by Rainey J. Gibney

The Josie Baggley Company Website

Click drop-down for more on Anna Nielsen Prints
Oghamzone Pictures and Prints Catalogue:
Anna Nielsen set up her own design and manufacturing business, mainly fashion, and worked from her home Workshop also teaching crafts, design and sewing while her children were small 1983-1994.  The family moved to their new house in Wicklow in 1991, where Anna has her Studio Gallery. Her first Exhibition of Original Drawings was in The Renaissance III Gallery, Wicklow, in 1993. She has had many exhibitions since and she is a member of the IDI and the Crafts Council of Ireland.
In spring 2006 she had an exhibition in a small gallery in Paris.  Summer 2007 her most recent exhibition was in Galleri Tavi, in her home town of Skagen, Denmark where she will again exhibit in 2008.  
Love Story III
Anna Nielsen started a small craft company in November 1994, making a range of prints and cards from on her drawings. The current printed range is based on a series of black and white, pen and ink drawings and they feature the “Silhouette people”.    All her drawings have a story - The words are printed and usually accompany the prints.   The printed range includes Books, Limited and Open Edition Prints,  Greeting and Postcards.  They are all printed in Ireland, on high quality 250g recyclable character board and she uses recycled or recyclable papers wherever possible.

Anna Nielsen Prints Website

Click drop-down for more on Rachel Quinn Ceramics
Oghamzone Ceramics Catalogue:
 

  “Living in the north west of Ireland in a rural setting it is impossible to deny ones relationship with nature and the paths travelled by the ancient. As a person you develop an acute awareness of the seasons and the ongoing cycle of past, present and future, of being part of these changes and a sense of belonging to the land and the ancient line from which we are descended. As an artist this influence is very exciting, always new and intriguing with endless possibilities in form, colour and texture.”Rachel Quinn.

Rachel’s studio is 12 miles south of Sligo town just off the main N4 Dublin Road. You take the N17 main Galway road and approx 2 miles down this road you will pass the main turn off for Ballymote we are the first premises after this turn on the N17 approx, 400 metres.

You are more than welcome to visit the studio and meet with Rachel . We do keep regular hours but it is advisable to ring before you travel to us as we do not have cover staff when we are on holiday.Phone 071-9167767 to check opening or for appointment.

Diarmuid and Grainne.
Rachel comes from a Fine Art background, she studied painting and ceramics. Since finishing college she has pursued her passion for clay. Rachel worked in a large pottery in England and on returning to Ireland she worked with a studio potter for five years. During this time Rachel learned her Craft. Rachel and her husband Tony built and set up their own workshop, next to their home, in the shade of the Ox Mountains. They have been succsessfully running their own business since 2003 and have found that there is a huge interest in this type of work as people are looking for original pieces.

Rachel Quinn Ceramics Website

Click drop-down for more on Filip Vanas Jewellery
The Oghamzone Jewellery Catalogue
Qualified from the CTU, Prague as an architect Filip had practiced architecture for several years while exploring the possibilities of jewellery design and slowly finding a real passion for the latter. Then finally having abandoned architecture for good he focused fully on jewellery and took several courses in jewellery making and design with NCAD, Dublin.
  Being influenced by the previous practice Filip puts a lot of architectural experience into his jewellery – he loves high contrast, vivid colours and strong geometrical compositions. Filip mainly works with silver, but he likes to experiment with other, often non-precious materials like aluminium, plastics  or textiles. 
      Filip is registered with the Crafts Council of Ireland and all his silver work is properly hallmarked at the Dublin Assay Office.
      Exhibitions:NCAD Evening Students Exhibition – July 2010 Royal Dublin Horse Show National Craft Exhibition – August 2010
Craft Council Of Ireland: Future Makers – practicioners category - winner of exhibition assistance grant NCAD jewellery student prize

Filip Vanas uniquely combines the structural qualities of architecture and the simplicity of elegance in his designer jewellery collection. 
These works of  minimalist sculpture would fit into any contemporary skyline as dramatically as they adorn his discerning clientele.

Filip Vanas Jewellery Website

Fact File:  Ogham is pronounced Ohm in Gaelic.