Think of the phrase "Celtic drawings" and what probably comes to mind is something out of the book of Kells­ -- intricately interwoven knots and braids; serpents swallowing their tails; dragons enmeshed in lairs of looping line.

Scotsman Rob MacGregor, with his colored pencils and inks, gives that and more in his mosaic-like interpretations of traditional Celtic and Gaelic fantasy and legend.

While they are a distinctively contemporary creation, the images are steeped in the mystery and drama of Celtic lore.

Celtic music, myth and "half-awake dreams" give the curly red-haired MacGregor images that he transforms mostly with water-based hydrus inks onto paper with a brush and a "bit o' pen."

"Swirling Dragons" incorporates a technique he discovered. By using white acrylics with hydrus inks he creates a metal effect showing layers of detailed dragon scales. The technique's creation "was serendipity," he smiled.

Aficionados of Irish design might call "Wheel of Life" a Celtic mandala. The piece works its way from the center out. What makes it special, MacGregor beamed, is the inclusion of salmon images intertwined in the labyrinth­like border.

"They are the salmon of knowledge in Celtic myth," explained MacGregor in his distinguishing Highlander accent. "They are the keepers of wisdom and knowledge. When salmon swim upstream, not all of them make it. Some are quite battered and bruised. So what's wise about that? If the salmon remained in the sea, they wouldn't regenerate which means they wouldn't reproduce or be reincarnated. All of which are important for continued existence."

MacGregor has taken detail to a level not unlike the famed Celtic monk manuscripts of ancient times.

He described one of his personal favorites, "The Tree of Life," as having a universal meaning. "Everything comes from Mother Earth and branches out," MacGregor said thoughtfully. "We're all, related."

And then there are other works that are purely fantasy like "Wizard's Friends," featuring the kind of images to which one could easily make up stories. .

MacGregor has also created a children's coloring book that features many of his works.

From the Tempo Magazine
Taos, New Mexico, June 26 – July 2, 2003