Iconography...a spiritual path

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Mary_Henley

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I am a iconographer in the rough.
I have been studying iconography for many years and attempting to learn the art.
I am most interested in the spiritual path that this beautiful art form offers.
Are there any masters out there who would like to offer support or spiritual direction?
I have been raised high by Catholic Iconographers who have offered invaluable advice and dashed low by Eastern Orthodox writers on the subject.
I am Catholic.
I am a woman.
Both seem to present a problem for the Eastern Orthodox.
I am attempting to understand this bias…not that it is going to dissuade me from my path.
Any fellow iconographers out there?
 
I have heard of Byzantine Catholic Churches offering iconography workshops. Do you live near one?🙂
 
Iconographer in the ruff here too…

I use a lot of chant CD’s when I’m painting an ikon… also use the Jesus prayer too… also pray freinds and family and prayer intentions into each ikon…

I belong to an “ikonographer’s guild” here where I live and we get together every other Friday evening to paint and encourage each other.

I also have a FABULOUS teacher, for the past 12 years, who is ALWAYS there when I need help or just want to talk…

Hope this helps…
 
Please tell me that you did not paint the Icon on your post:blush:

I rejoice if you did (but I think I will cry in my coffee all day)!

I also use Gregorian chant while writing my icons.
I try to fast and pray and have real forgiveness in my heart as I immerse myself into the theology of the Icon.
I am working on the Baptism of Our Lord…or the Theophany.
It is truly a depth of mystery that may take me till I die to complete.

Another reason it may take me till I die…
I live in a very humid area and I find it hard to continue painting with tempera…as it has a tendency to remain sticky.
Any help?
 
udoc89 said:
I have heard of Byzantine Catholic Churches offering iconography workshops. Do you live near one?🙂
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I live in the Bible Belt…no one knows about Iconography around here…I think they refer to them as false idols:confused: .
I do have some Catholic friends who are supportive though.
I will do a Google search to see if there are any Byzantine Churches…I tend to use the Russian Masters more…🤷
 
I can’t be much help but I wanted to say “God bless you” for your work. I have always found icons to be extremely helpful in prayer and worship. Keep up the good work!
 
Mary_Henley said:
I live in the Bible Belt…no one knows about Iconography around here…I think they refer to them as false idols:confused: .
I do have some Catholic friends who are supportive though.
I will do a Google search to see if there are any Byzantine Churches…I tend to use the Russian Masters more…🤷
Click to expand...
Mary:

I looked up the Byzantine Catholic Church in Houston, St. John Chrysostom, which I have visisted and apparently they are having a workshop in Dallas with another Byzantine Church (in September.) It was on their calendar. The web address is simply www:stjohnchrysostom.com

Hope this helps! I think Dallas counts as the “Bible Belt,” but I don’t think Houston does. Houston has always had lots and lots of Catholics! 🙂
 
Mary_Henley said:
Another reason it may take me till I die…I live in a very humid area and I find it hard to continue painting with tempera…as it has a tendency to remain sticky.Any help?
Click to expand...
Yes, use acrylics… all of the Russian teachers I’ve studied with use acrylics.

Look at www.ikonograph.com all of these ikons were done with acrylics.

Also www.stmatthewoca.org this is the church one of the members of my guild belongs to. He did all the ikons and they’re done in acrylic also.

See if you find the site for St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic church in Hazelton, PA. I worked on their new ikonostasis and it is all done in acrylics.

Hope this helps…

ps

No, I did not paint the ikon in my signature although I would like to paint Our Lady of Perpetual Help because I have great devotion to her! Can’t wait for the Pilgrimage Labor Day weekend in her honor!👍
 
Mary_Henley said:
I am Catholic.
I am a woman.
Both seem to present a problem for the Eastern Orthodox.
Click to expand...
I know more than a few women iconographers in the Orthodox Church. A few of them are nuns and I know of no canons prohibiting women from painting icons. As for your being Catholic, I know of at least one iconographer who was led to the Orthodox Church through his study of iconography as a Catholic 😉 I’m certainly not going to discourage you from learning 😃

John
 
prodromos said:
I know more than a few women iconographers in the Orthodox Church. A few of them are nuns and I know of no canons prohibiting women from painting icons.
Click to expand...
I was wondering myself.

When I was a young monk in Serbia the bishop set up an iconography workshop at our monastery of Zica (Zhicha) and it was composed of about 15 nuns. It was his hope that they would work to replace the rather westernised icons which had been hurriedly painted after WWII to replace the thousands destroyed by the Germans or taken off to Germany as loot. In part the project has been very successful and the work of the nuns of Zica is found in many Serbian churches, both iconostases and panel icons.

In this country (New Zealand) our best iconographer is a woman immigrant from Serbia.

In Australia a married woman of Russian descent is also one of the country’s superb iconographers.
 
prodromos said:
I know more than a few women iconographers in the Orthodox Church. A few of them are nuns and I know of no canons prohibiting women from painting icons. As for your being Catholic, I know of at least one iconographer who was led to the Orthodox Church through his study of iconography as a Catholic 😉 I’m certainly not going to discourage you from learning 😃

John
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Sweet of you…I will just wait till y’all come on home:cool:
Father Steven Bigham in his book titled *The Image of God the Father *in chapter seven on the Western Attitude and again in the chapter on Iconography and the “non-Orthodox” underlines what he calls the Orthodox opinion about the heterodox iconographer. I believe that would be in his opinion…Catholics…
I did not post this thread in the Eastern Christianity section because I did not want this to turn into a debate on who left who for what reason…I am well satisfied with the historical account.
But…I was sent here anyway…so…I am seeking help from fellow iconographers who work with the traditional tempera.
 
While we are discussing iconography, I was reading thru an old thread on the subject that I am considering adding to our Reference Threads and remembered something about which I wanted to ask.

Does anyone here remember a YouTube video that illustrated the processes involved in reverse painting of icons on glass (most common among the Romanians)? I wanted to add a link to the video into the thread. I thought it was something that was posted here by someone, but can’t locate it in searching. (My recollection is that it was filmed in a Romanian monastery.)

Anyone remember this?

Joe
 
Joe_Monahan said:
Does anyone here remember a YouTube video that illustrated the processes involved in reverse painting of icons on glass (most common among the Romanians)? I wanted to add a link to the video into the thread. I thought it was something that was posted here by someone, but can’t locate it in searching. (My recollection is that it was filmed in a Romanian monastery.)

Anyone remember this?

Joe
Click to expand...
Joe,

Is this what you are looking for? It’s a two parter:
youtube.com/watch?v=WuvKYES1TdY
youtube.com/watch?v=W7knQ_xVJ4Y
 
And one that is kidless.

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