A glimmer of an idea

The last week was spent in Cuba.  This is the fourth time I've been, and I've produced a memory piece after every visit, sometimes struggling to develop a concept.  This time the idea came fairly early in the trip.  The resort we stayed in had decorative images everywhere.  We had the opportunity to visit a couple of other resorts and found similar motifs in those, as well.  I recognized the image as a pre-Christian Celtic Cross, rotated 45 degrees. ( A couple of years ago I used a medieval Celtic Cross in a piece, with some success).  This raised the question of it's symbolism in Spanish or Cuban culture, and a potential focus for the piece I want to develop, based on this visit.

I inquired at our resort, and was referred to our tour company representative.  Unfortunately she had no idea, and thought it was pure decoration.  However, she did ask further, and her source said exactly the same thing, but suggested that maybe the various resorts had the same architect.

Very disappointed, I gave it a little more thought, and remembered that many religious symbols had been banned in socialist countries.  So, I've decided to carry on.  The Celtic Cross has meaning for me, but maybe doesn't need to be the focal point of the design I'm working on.  At this point I'm thinking of using soy wax batik for the background, and maybe using the image as part of that. A more contemporary focal point or image just might result in a better design.