Wild Goose
Founded in 1970, Wild Goose Studio is known for creating beautifully handcrafted, original piece. Crafting pieces from their workshop in the picturesque town of Kinsale, Co. Cork. Brian Scott-McCarthy and Kathleen Smyth founded the studio. Together with other leading Irish artists, they create artwork by taking inspiration from ancient tales, Irish heritage, traditional blessings and much more.
At Blarney Woollen Mills, we are proud to stock a number of these original and handmade pieces. We recently worked with the amazing Irish artists at Wild Goose to create a new and exclusive piece just for us. Deciding on the creation of a traditionally Irish piece beloved by our customers was a priority. Creating a piece that could be added to any room to bring comfort from Ireland to the home. The symbol of St Brigid’s Cross has been drawing in crowds while visiting in store. Usually woven from reeds which grow wild in rural Ireland, we wanted to create an exclusive St. Brigid’s Cross piece handmade in Ireland from pure bronze and beautifully framed. Deciding on a traditionally Irish blessing, we engraved “May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell”.
Casting
The first stage of creating our exclusive piece is the casting stage, where the skilled craft-workers use a cold cast method to create the design. Each piece made by Wild Goose Studio has a shell of pure cast iron or bronze backed by a resin and ceramic core. Crafted from bronze, our piece incorporates a staple material of Ancient Ireland. Carving our design into a sculptured piece, creating a mold. Using bronze metal powder, we formed the outer surface, and a cold cast pouring created the inner surface.
Polishing
PolishingCarefully polishing the piece after setting it reveals the beautifully designed bronze underneath.
Framing
The artist behind the design, Adam Grabski, signs each piece, adding a personalized touch. Once framed, we add a label explaining its origins and significance, offering insight into the imagination behind it.
And here is the beautiful, finished, Blarney Exclusive St Brigid’s Blessing Plaque! A handmade, unique piece to bring Irish blessings to the home.
Creating this piece with the fantastic artists and staff at Wild Goose Studio has been thrilling!
Shop our Blarney exclusive Wild Goose Studio piece
