Christian Iconography is the writing of traditional sacred images, that of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Saints and other biblical figures. Tracing back to medieval times this tradition is known as writing an icon rather than painting an icon. This is because in medieval latin iconographia, came from the Greek word eikonographia and broken down eikon and graphein mean to write. The process of writing an icon has remained to this day true to its origins developed in the 6th century . The imagery and style is rooted in the Greek and Russian Orthodox church and its style heavily influenced by Byzantine art and later on by the stylistic developments of early Renaissance art. Symbolic representation is used to portray themes and subjects.
From my experience the tradition of writing an icon remains a very spiritual and a healing process. I would describe it as a meditative and prayerful journey. As every effort is made by the iconographer to portray these sacred figures with perfection in order to honor and glorify them, the process is slow and follows a set of guidelines in order to achieve these goals. One of the main guidelines is working from darkness to light. This reflects our human journey towards the light, eternal and everlasting life with our Creator. Working from darkness to light involves applying many many layers of colour, often up to 11 coats of the same colour . Another important element is using the same medieval materials as were used traditionally. This involves making egg tempera paint the exact way it was used in those days, a mix of organic egg yolk and organic red wine vinegar. And also using a wooden board that is gessoed using rabbit skin glue layered over a calico or linen cloth.
Customer satisfaction is at the heart of what I do so the process of creating a custom made Icon from start to finish generally takes 16 weeks from the date of the order. This time frame is due to the traditional process of making the egg tempera, applying many layers of colour and allowing enough drying time for the paints before I apply the varnish. I use a very high quality varnish, Shellac made by Sennelier.
I would be delighted to custom made your Icon if you would like an image of a particular saint. All images I use are based on traditional icon images.
To order your Icon please follow this link and fill out the Art Commisssion Request Form
