Transformation Iconography

Christ Pantocrator 2011, realized

2011-08-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week, and what lovely work our newest iconographers offered with God's help. Thanks be to God!

More pictures from Pantocrator 2011

2011-08-12T07:34:00.001-07:00

With apologies for lagging behind!

It's been a great week so far, and it's hard to believe today is our last day!

Pantocrator, 2011 Day 1

2011-08-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

St. Peter's newest iconographers have begun their Pantocrator icons, starting by painting in the basic color blocks that make up the "shadows" of the icon.

Christ Pantocrator, 2012

2011-07-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

From August 8-12, new iconographers will be meeting at St. Peter's in Del Mar, California, to write this icon of the Christ Pantocrator.

The Nativity: Blessing the icons and other fun pictures

2010-02-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Our class wrapped on Friday, after a great week writing icons together. Here are some pictures from the last days, and the St. Mary's iconographers with their icons in church on Sunday. Thank you to iconographer Jim Fox for these great pictures!

Nativity Day 4: Faces and hands...

2010-02-04T19:17:00.001-08:00

Today the icons became ever more themselves. as we worked with lighter and lighter paint, in thin coats, the faces emerged.

This rather odd image is the dry erase board used to show brush stroke directions and placement...

Nativity Day 3: Drapery

2010-02-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

The drapery in this icon is very bold-- and rightfully so! This was a glorious night!

Our iconographers have been praying hard and working hard this week. Tomorrow: faces!

Nativity Day 2: Rocks

2010-02-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Rocks and geology in icons are very interesting. It's said that even the rocks kneel before the Lord...

Nativity Day 1

2010-02-01T19:00:00.001-08:00

We gathered this morning at St. Mary's, had a quick reunion, and then turned our hearts and hands to this year's icon of the Nativity. We said our prayers, made our tracings and then began laying the shadow color blocks onto the gessoed boards...

Back to Bonita Springs: The Nativity

2010-01-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

It's (almost) February, so it must be Florida! Time to return to friends at St. Mary's in Bonita Springs and our annual iconography workshop. This year we will spend the week praying and writing another icon of a significant story of Mary's life: The Nativity. This is the "draft" icon, written in anticipation of the class as a model based on a traditional icon. Tune in over the week as I post images from the class, and examples of the students' work.

The Angelus will be our prayer for the week...

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary . . .
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

The Venerable Bede

2010-01-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

This icon of the Venerable Bede was a commission as a birthday gift for a colleague's partner. Some of the coolest icons I've done in the last years have been due to this friendship-- I am so grateful for the friendship and the adventures in iconography! Most of what we know about the early years of Christianity in British Isles we know because of the Venerable Bede. More information about his life and ministry may be found here.

The Rev. Florence Li Tim Oi

2010-01-29T10:28:00.001-08:00

This icon of the Rev. Florence Li Tim Oi was commissioned by the graduating class of Yale Divinity's Berkley School of Theology as their present to the school. Writing this icon for them was a tremendous honor-- and a great and inspiring challenge. Florence herself was challenging, because we actually do know what she looked like-- so letting go of the temptation to try to paint a portrait (not going to happen!) and to let the icon be itself was a great bit of spiritual work. The hillside with the fog and the waves below were just plain fun. More about Florence, her life and ministry may be found here.

The Visitation, Iconographers

2009-02-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

St. Mary's Episcopal Church Iconographers. Bonita Springs, FL. Feb. 2009
L-R: Sally Watts, Dianne Rowe, Jim Fox, Marcia Hardy, Sally Sites, Joan Warren, Babette Brenton, Pastor Gail Tomei. Absent: Helen Mallon, Bill Kingsley

The Visitation Day 5

2009-02-07T02:59:00.001-08:00

What a remarkable week!

Thank you to my group of wonderful iconographers for your faithful engaging of this process. The pictures below were taken right after the icons were varnished, and so the reflection of the flash is rather bright and unfortunate. I hope that we'll have pictures from Sunday's blessing of the icons at St. Mary's.

The Visitation Day 4

2009-02-06T02:34:00.000-08:00

Today we painted faces, using thin layers of paint to gradually add light to the icon. The movement of darkness into light is part of the powerful symbolism in icon writing.

The first highlight in "Second Flesh"

The second highlight in slightly shorter strokes, nearer the eyes and center of the face, in Second Flesh and a small amount of yellow light-warm white mix.

The third highlight in shorter strokes still, building cheek bones and facial structure.

And then the "enliveners" that place points of light at the brightest places on the face: above the eyebrows, eyelashes and the corners of the eyes, the cheekbones, down the center of the nose and nostrils, the filtrum (aka sniffle ridge) and chin.

Then the eyes are outlined and highlighted, and the face is outlined in the olive green Sankir (first flesh) plus a small amount of a dark brown paint called "Hair."

The Visitation Day 3

2009-02-04T17:39:00.001-08:00

This is Helen, who takes very good care of us and makes sure we never go hungry!

Helen in the Kitchen, where she spends almost as much time as she does writing icons!

It was a good day of icon writing. Drapery and details were the work of the day, and reading the passage from Luke upon which this icon is based. Tomorrow, faces! And the story of the birth of John the Baptist...

And now some pictures of the day. I apologize for these not having names attached to each and that not all the icons are here (one was having its back painted...). These iconographers are working and praying hard, and it shows in their beautiful work... (as an aside, they wanted to be sure a picture of me was included...)

The Visitation Day 2

2009-02-03T16:40:00.001-08:00

We worked on the architecture today, and Elizabeth's white-grey hair. We continued our reading of Luke 1, in particular, the Annunciation.

Tomorrow: drapery!

The Visitation Day 1

2009-02-03T03:07:00.001-08:00

Where we are...

Where we are headded...

Some pictures from the first day of our workshop...
We spent the morning in prayer, tracing our icon and mixing paints. In the afternoon we traced the icon onto the board and began laying in the foundation colors that serve as the shadows within the icon. To set a scriptural context, we began our reading of the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, telling the story of Elizabeth and Zachariah.

The class hard at work.

I hope to include more pictures of our work and of our iconographers as the days continue.

The Visitation

2009-01-31T04:51:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I leave for Florida, where I will lead an iconography workshop at St. Mary the Virgin, Bonita Springs. I've taught three other icons at St. Mary's and three other icons at the previous church of their rector, the Very Rev. Dr. Michael Rowe, St. Thomas, Camden.

We will be writing this icon of the Visitation, to continue a theme of significant moments in the life of their patron (matron) saint, Mary. My hope is that during the week I will be able to upload images of the class, our progress, and our icons. It may be, however, that I do so once I have returned from this adventure.

Some history: this icon is based on an icon by my teacher, Rebecca Taylor. Because the students are of varying experience, I focused on the faces, and "redistanced" the architecture behind the women. This will allow them the chance to learn to write architecture and stone work, which will be new for most.

New England Christian Arts Council

2009-01-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

And a Happy New Year it is! I have just learned that I am the featured artist for the New England Christian Arts Council for January, 2009. The website is here

New England Christian Arts Council Featured Artist

...and if that link doesn't work you can paste this into your browser:

http://www.newenglandchristianartscouncil.org/page5.php

The two works featured are this icon of the Archangel Michael, based on the work of Andre Rublev, which I wrote as a commission two years ago...

And this icon of the Cefalu Christ Pantocrator (ruler over all) that I wrote while teaching this summer.

Thank you to Barbara Bagshaw, who has been my contact with the Council, and the New England Christian Arts Council itself, for this honor!

You can learn more about the Council's events and more here

New England Christian Arts Council

http://www.newenglandchristianartscouncil.org/home.php

And you can click on the beautiful collage at the top of this post for information about the Eighth Annual His Presence His Gifts Arts Festival on June 27, 2009.

Thomas Merton

2008-10-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Prayer of Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Cefalu Pantocrator: our summertime icon workshop

2008-08-31T11:23:00.001-07:00

It was a lovely week in York Beach last week, when seven iconographers gathered in the home of Barbara Boschert, to pray and write icons based on the ceiling mosaic of the cathedral in Cefalu, Sicily.

Iconographers, from left to right: Maryanne Lindquist, Barbara LaSalle, the Rev. Kit Wang, Karen Gilroy, the Rev. Bette Pollock (working on her crossword puzzle) and our hostess,

Barbara Boschert.

We followed the tradition of tracing the template of the icon onto our boards.

...and worked (and prayed) in artist-grade acrilic guash.

And this Sunday we blessed the icons by praying over them and by having them at the altar during the Holy Eucharist.

Thank you, great iconographers, for a wonderful week. It was an honor to walk this journey with you.

I am the Light

2008-08-23T03:15:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday of next week, 6 students will begin writing this icon in a workshop offered by St. George's, the parish I serve. Three of the students have written other icons with me before, and three are new to iconography.

This icon is based on a ceiling mosaic icon from the Cefalu cathedral in Palermo, Italy.

Earlier this year I was led to write this icon in part because I was looking for an image that would be good for new and experienced iconographers alike. Using only the "head and shoulders" of the image keeps the details larger, which will be easier for older hands and older eyes. And the icon itself is compelling. There is a kindness and an awesomeness both in this image of Christ, who reminds us (through the inscription in the Gospel book he is holding) that he is the Light of the world.

Stay tuned, as I hope to include pictures from next week's class, and the student's work.

...and all the company of heaven

2007-12-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

I love the concept of the Communion of Saints, that great cloud of witnesses that includes all the faithful who have preceded us, all who are members of the Body of Christ living today, and all who have yet to arrive on the scene, and so it is a delight that a good number of the commissions I receive are in fact of the Saints... Saints today, saints of old, as the anthem goes...

Usually the commission is intended as a gift. This year the gift was particularly delightful as I was asked to write this icon of St. Nicholas. As I pray my way through the next several days, Nicholas is a good companion. This particular icon of St. Nicholas is based on an icon written by Alaskan artist, Byron Birdsall, who himself based his icon of Nicholas on those of the more ancient tradition.

This icon of Ignatius of Loyola was also commissioned as a gift. Writing this icon was a gift to my spirit, as I had recently spent some time reading and praying with Ignatius's spiritual disciplines through the writings of Father Thomas Ryan, the ecumenical officer of the Paulist Brothers. As I wrote this icon I prayed Ignatius' prayer, "Take Lord, and Receive":

Take Lord, and receive
All my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will
All that I am and all that I posess
You have given it all to me, to you Lord, I return it
All is yours
Dispose of it according to your will.
Give me only your love and your grace, for that is enough for me.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is not an icon, per se. It is a holy image with an important role in the spiritual history of our country, particularly our country out West, where I grew up. I wrote this icon while on a stragely difficult sabbatical, which led into a fascinating journey of discernment in the year that followed. I am still a Western kid, called to serve in the East for now. Still very much a mystery. Take Lord, and Receive...

This icon of Francis is one of my first commissions, written for a parishioner who "won" it in an auction at St. George's. Francis' tenderness, his hands wounded by the stigmata, and the bird of peace were moving elements to engage while writing this icon.

I was writing this icon of the Beloved Disciple for the Rev. Steven Godfrey as an ordination present, while listening to the U2 Best of 1980-1990 album, when I had something of a mystical experience singing I Will Follow at the top of my lungs. OK, to be fair, I was rinsing off my palette at the sink while singing at the top of my lungs and dancing in the kitchen. That experience was overwhelming-- no really-- it was overwhelming, and led me to discuss the possibility of a U2 Eucharist with other U2 fans in my congregation. That, my friends, is the subject of another blog... http://u2charist.blogspot.com/

This icon of Miriam the Prophetess was first written as an ordination present for the Rev. Suzanne Poulin. This particular image of Miriam was written as a Christmas gift for a friend's mother who is a Jewish woman who has converted to Christianity.

This icon of St. Andrew also began as a commission for a young boy named Andrew. This particular image of St. Andrew is hanging out with a friend of mine in Estero, Florida. I love his fisherman-windblown hair and craggy sun-creased face.

I don't know what the next commission will bring. No doubt another opportunity to spend time with the image of a faithful member of the family that is the Body of Christ.

Angels, Archangels...

2007-09-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Icons of angels are often popular with folks who are not so very much into "institutional religion," who somehow find angels more approachable or palatable than other figures. Which is a bit ironic, really. Just about very time an angel makes an appearance in scripture, witnesses to the appearance react fearfully, to the extent that the first thing the angel has to say in order to be heard is, "Don't be afraid!

In the iconographic tradition, angels are usually depicted as rather androgynous, lacking the beards typical of male figures. They are often wearing armor of some sort, and carry swords, or staves.

At times, angels such as the Archangel Michael, above, carry an orb inscribed with "IC XC," an abbreviation of the Greek "Jesus Christ," representing the prefiguring of Christ.

They have two sets of wings: one for traveling in this world, and one for traveling between the heavenly realm and ours. Angels are ever in motion: with ribbons floating out behind them to indicate their flight.

The Archangel Gabriel below is based on an icon by my iconography teacher, Rebecca Taylor, which she learned from her teacher, Phil Zimmerman. The angel carries a scribes case and a scroll. The case is for writing names in the Book of Life, and the scroll bears the angel's words to Mary: "Rejoice, O favored one, the Lord is with you," right before saying, "Do not be afraid..."

An unnamed angel appeared at the empty tomb that first Easter morning. This icon is a study of a larger piece, which includes the sleeping soldiers, and the women, coming to care for Jesus' body.

You'll notice that the perspective on the "stone" is all wrong, not aligned with some focal point in the distance at which all lines merge into one, as we learned in art class in elementary school (I still remember drawing roads that disappeared off into the sunset, flanked by similarly shrinking telephone poles or trees...). Perspective in iconography is "reversed," with things often getting larger as they move away from the viewer, symbolizing the ever-expanding nature of the Reign of God. The consequence of this perspective is also that the viewer is that infinitessimally small vanishing point. Rather keeps things in, well, perspective.

Theotokos, Part 2 and 3 and lots of beads...

2007-09-07T06:51:00.001-07:00

Having been raised Protestant, it was a bit of a surprise to discover I had a real spiritual affinity with the Theotokos icon. And yet, perhaps it's not a great surprise, given how deeply I understand God's call to us to bear Christ into the world, to work with God to continue to make Christ incarnate as part of the inbreaking of God's reign.

These two icons represent a playful engagement with the Theotokos icon, and with the mosaic medium of iconography, using beads instead of ceramic tiles. The first icon is another Yaroslavl Mother of God, the second the Korsun Mother of God.

A new element of symbolism is found in the Korsun, namely that of Jesus' Gospel scroll, representing the prefigured and yet unrevealed Good News.

I have since written many more such Theotokos icons, and have taught both of these in a number of workshops. Teaching these icons is particularly rich, witnessing my students prayerfully encounter their own call to be theotokos, to be God-bearers...

Theotokos, the God Bearer

2007-09-07T05:30:00.001-07:00

The Yaroslavl Mother of God is a Theotokos icon and a Tenderness icon. "Theotokos" means "God-bearer" in Greek, a name reminding us of how Mary bore God into the world, and also of how we are all called to be theotokos, to bear God in Christ into the world as members of Christ's Body. Tenderness icons are those in which Mary and Jesus' faces are touching.

Symbolism is rich in this icon. Mary's blue undergarment (covering her hair) represents her humanity, and her red cloak, that she is draped in divinity. The Christ Child's tunic is rough and plain, reminding us of his earthy beginings; his gilded overgarment and cross-inscribed halo a prefigurment of his crucifixion and resurrected glory.

This icon was written in 1999 during a week long silent retreat led by Rebecca Taylor at Emery House, the retreat center for the Society of St. John the Evangelist in West Newbury, MA.

Christ Pantocrator 1999

2007-09-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Lent, 1999, I took my first icon class with Massachusetts iconographer, Rebecca Taylor. We met each Friday, 9-4, in her dining room in Newburyport, MA. I took the class with my now-husband, Gene, as part of my Christmas present to him.

After the first class, I was hooked, and I've been writing icons ever since.
"Writing" icons, because icons are, essentially, a Word... incarnate in their own way, and meant to tell a story.

Rebecca (and her students) use artist-grade acrylic guache, 23K gold leaf, and much prayer, in writing icons.

Traditionallhy, icons are literally traced from previous icons because the tradition is that the original icon was done "from life," and also so that the iconographer's ego does not become too attached).

Everything in an icon is symbolic as a way of telling its story. The symbolism of Jesus' garments is that red represents his divinity, draped in blue, which symbolizes his humanity. The open Gospel book, symbolizing the revealed Good News, is the one place where an iconographer gets to express a personal choice. What is written in the book can be anything Jesus said in any of the four Gospels.