Carrie Fertig for The Fife Arms
Carrie Fertig is the wonderful artist behind our curated selection of festive decorations at The Fife Arms Shop.
Carrie has created a collection of exclusive glass and copper decorations inspired by the wonderful, wintery scenery of Christmas in the Cairngorms. Read on to discover Carrie's inspiration for the designs, and how each piece is made.
Deep immersion in the natural world is key to my well-being. Long days canopied in forests and open-hearted on Cairngorm hills feed my soul, inspire my work, and are essential to my life. The Fife Arms Single Icicle Decorations are based on twelve hills surrounding the hotel. The icicle styles are based on atmospheric conditions, topography, the experience of walking the hill, flora, fauna, foraging, and cartographic detail. Each icicle style, each hill that they are based on, has a story to tell, and I hope they will inspire your own whilst you explore the soul-feeding scenery within and surrounding The Fife Arms.
The icicles are made from tubes of glass, and the air inside is why they make such beautiful sounds, but it would also expand if I closed it off during the making of them. So to prevent the heated inner air from exploding the icicles, I work them, leaving the tube open on both ends for the air to escape. I twist and turn the molten glass by holding two solid rods connected at three tiny points to the tube that will be the icicle. When the icicle is just about finished, I pull one rod off and attach the glass loop I’ve already made to the top. Then they are allowed to cool completely and then I quickly burn off the tapered bottom. They are all annealed in the kiln overnight to take any stress out, and the next morning, they are ready to be musical. Optically, because the icicles are hollow, the light first penetrates the outside surface, then hits the near side of the interior bubble, then the far side of that bubble, and finally through the far side of the icicle. All these surfaces, along with the shape and turns of each icicle, make them far more sparkly than if they were solid glass.
The new star icicle decorations multiply the fascinating optic effects, as all these complex surfaces are now pointing in 6, 8, and 16 different directions. The icicle stars capture and throw light, magnifying the sparkle of their setting. The 16 pointed icicle stars are inspired by monstrances, liturgical vessels, whose design reflects beauty and reverence.
The copper tree topper process begins with glueing paper onto a copper sheet and drawing and redrawing the reindeer or unicorn repeatedly until I am happy with it. Then they are cut out with a jewellers saw, breaking many saw blades in the process (they are so fine I need 3.5 magnifiers just to see which way the saw blades should be fitted into the saw!) I drill many holes for eyes, ears, and, because they are so big, many places that the saw cannot reach otherwise. Once they are all cut out, they are filed, just like jewellery, with the same tools. Then they go into a bath of vinegar for many hours to get the paper off, as the glue must be incredibly strong to stay in place during the vigorous sawing process. Washed, rinsed, scrubbed up, and dried, they are hammered into shape on an anvil and into a tree stump. Then a piece of copper tubing is soldered onto the back to accommodate the tree. That piece has also been cut from a longer piece of tube with a jewellers saw and filed. Finally, they are given a brushed finish by hand. Although I have made more than one of each tree topper, they are all hand made, hand drawn, and each is unique.
The Reindeer Tree Topper is based on Crann, a long gone, but deeply beloved member of the Cairngorm Reindeer herd. The Unicorn Tree Topper is based on The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries in the Cluny Museum (Paris) and the Unicorn Tapestries in the Cloisters (NYC). It is the national animal and symbol of Scotland, part of the Scottish Royal Coat of Arms and of the United Kingdom Royal Coat of Arms, and a symbol of purity.
The Squirrel, Hare, and Monarch of the Glen ornaments are inspired by my experience with wildlife in Scotland. The Monarch of the Glen ornament pays homage to Sir Edwin Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen, one of the best-known Scottish paintings. The ornaments are photo-etched from sheet copper and then hand-hammered just like the tree toppers, with a very shiny copper surface. The hare and the squirrel can either hang or stand, and the Monarch of the Glen ornament is for hanging a bit of Scotland on your tree or window.
