Ireland's North West Tourism Destination
Born in County Sligo, in the North Ireland province of Connacht, Russell Rhodes was born Russell Drumgoole Gray. Sligo is famous for its cultivation of the arts, home to numerous musical festivals, literary contests, and the the visual arts. Russell grew up in good company. William Butler Yeats, famed Irish poet grew up in Sligo. Renowned Irish musicians Mary O'Hara and Fred Finn were born here, amongst many others. In the early years, Mrs. Gray intentionally set a magnificent course of study in front of the young Russell Rhodes. Not only was he home schooled in the poetry of Yeats, his mother--dedicated to Irish heritage as well as the Arts--brought in local artists to train him. There were extensive classes in drawing. These classes would later become the foundation for Russell's Christmas design skills. Other artists, particularly those skilled in oil painting, would teach Russell the nuances of color, paint application, tint texturizing and many more artistic skills. In his youth, the family, not being of extensive financial wherewithal, would have each of the children create their own Christmas ornaments from whatever materials they wished. The materials were their Christmas gifts, and their ornaments were the final gift from each member to the family as a whole. Today, we see Russell Rhodes Christmas ornaments enduring in a highly competitive, nearly global marketplace. We set out to interview him on a recent visit to his homeland, and were able to catch up with him in Dublin. He shared with us that his favorite Christmas ornament ever made was from the lamb's wool recovered from a beloved pet. Though the pet died of pneumonia that Christmas, Russell felt that "Penny Finn" was in some way able to live on, at least in thought and memory, through that ornament. It was a personalized ornament with Penny Finn's years of life on it. So while essentially a memorial ornament to an Irish lamb, it also marked a turning point in Russell's young career as a designer of Christmas ornaments. He says, "A Christmas ornament, even if not of Irish theme in particular, should stir within the heart some memory, some cherished moment made or yet to come, that inspires one to great heights, to heal old wounds, to reach into the unknown with love in one's heart and joy in the mind." We were impressed by his literary skill even in his speech. When asked if he read Yeats, he said, "I liked him much through my mother's reports. I grew to respect him as a man, but know him less as the famous Irish poet he would become". We asked Russell from where he draws most of his inspiration for his current Christmas ornaments design. He told us that, "decorating for the holidays was always a tradition in our family. We looked forward to everyone coming together to create something honest, something real. Even when resources were short, my parents made sure that we were all able to contribute something to the family as a whole. It's with that spirit of 'Home for the Holidays' and family togetherness at Christmas that drives my design work". From the simple to the sublime and highly detailed, Russell Rhodes Christmas ornaments endure all times and seasons. You can see his latest collection, including his newest Irish designs on his website of the same name.
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