Dryad Design
Drawing inspiration from his deeply-felt spirituality and from the natural surroundings of Worcester, Vermont, Paul Borda has found his "soul work" in the art distributed by Dryad Design. Devoted to the Pagan religion, Paul uses his artistic skills to bring form to his spiritual visions. His pieces include God and Goddess imagery from Celtic, Norse, Russian and Sumerian Mythology. "For those who are not Pagan," says Paul, "our pieces often connect them with their spirituality, heritage or ancestors."
Paul's designs are set apart from many other representations of deities and spiritual concepts by the amount of symbolic imagery worked into each work of art - the observer will, over time, find new aspects in each piece. The process of creation begins with ritual and meditation, and is followed by extensive research. Paul feels the image is a gift from the Gods and has an etheric life of its own.
Most designs are originally realized in wood carvings - the average statue takes 300-500 hours of carving time to complete. The first day, says Paul, is the most exciting for him because everything is potential. His heart pumps with excitement and the thrill of sinking his chisels into wood. Once a piece is completed, the original designs are carefully reproduced in resin, fiberglass or pewter; jewelry may be in sterling silver, gold vermeil or copper. The fine detail of the reproductions can even show chisel marks and the grain of the wood in many of the castings. Paul and his wife Suzanne (who oversees production) take pride in the work of Dryad, and vow to stay true to their mission to serve spirituality and connect to ancestral heritage.
