tom burke

Technique
The art of scrimshaw was something I had read about for years but never had an opportunity to pursue while my wife and I raised our six children. When I began my scrimshaw career in 1994, I was amazed at how difficult it was to pursue. After I checked out some books on the art of scrimshaw and Celtic knot art from the library, I realized how many restrictions there were on the use of elephant ivory and whale’s teeth. Not wanting to contribute to an existing environmental problem, I almost gave up, but in 1998, I acquired a 3 1/2 foot long section of ten thousand year old mammoth tusk, which was legal, and 90% useable. I then began my quest to develop a line of one-of-a-kind hand carved, Celtic scrimshaw jewelry. It took over two years to develop a system to freehand the multicolor Celtic knot art, and then scrimshaw it, (inscribe) onto a piece of polished mammoth tusk.

The Celtic knot art depicted in the Book of KELLS was done by the COLUMBAN monks using freehand drawing techniques and is considered to be the finest example of Celtic knot art in existence. Because of this the Book of KELLS is also considered to be the finest art manuscript ever created in Ireland. Because of its exceptional quality and the era it depicted I felt it was essential that every piece I make is given the same care and respect that the monks used when completing the Book of KELLS. Displaying the combination of multicolor Celtic knot art utilizing the art of scrimshaw was now a reality that I had only dreamed of.

I begin by cutting the tusk in half lengthwise which made it easier to work with when cutting a blank. I then cut a section with the grain for strength, about 1/4 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches in length and width. Using this blank, I decide what I will make. I can create letters, medallions, plain crosses and Celtic crosses, which are the most difficult to carve and scrimshaw. Although most pieces start out approximately 1/4 inch thick they may end up thinner after fine sanding and polishing. I then cut out a rough shape using a jeweler’s saw and hand file the edges until it is the right shape and size.

After the piece is cut and polished, I trace it on a piece of graph paper with indelible black ink. I then free hand the Celtic knot art to scale on graph paper. This allows me to filI in the colors and see how they all work together. The most important thing is to see how the negative space, (areas without knot work) relate to the actual filled in knots and whether the design enhances or detracts from the piece.

Much of the Celtic knot art I use is my interpretation of the knots found in the Book of KELLS and contained variations which I have created. Because I am working with limited space on the ivory, I use a lighted overhead magnifier to supplement my failing eyes. When the freehand pencil design is finished on each piece, it is then covered with hair spray to keep the pencil drawings from smudging. I then scrimshaw the outline and fill in the lines with an .005 indelible black ink pen. I then allow it to dry for half an hour before scrimshawing the interior of the knots. To apply the colors I must scrimshaw the polished surface of the piece in every outlined area. This is done so the ink can sink into the porous ivory material. Because this work is very tedious, it requires a lot of patience to prevent the colors from running together.

I use a “speed ball sketching” project pen set to apply the ink into the tiny areas. Once the ink is applied, I then spray the piece with numerous coats of MINWAX polyurethane clear gloss spray. This usually takes six days to complete because of the drying time involved