Christ Pantocrator: This week at St. Peter's!

This week at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Del Mar, CA, 12 iconographers will write this icon of the Christ Pantocrator. It's based on the icon below. This will be a beginners' class, and so we will be focusing on the face only, learning the basic techniques of writing icons.

Forward Movement, icon booklets, cards, art prints...

Thank you to Forward Movement for the opportunity to offer booklets on writing and praying with icons, and for making available art prints, prayer cards and note cards based on the four icons that are the cover art for Forward Day by Day this year.

If you are so inclined, you may visit this page at Forward Movement, and investigate the possibilities.

The White Angel of Serbia: the icons are Blessed

My thanks again to St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Bonita Springs, Florida, for the opportunity to lead this iconography workshop.  On Sunday, March 30, the St. Mary's iconographers had their icons blessed by being on (and around) the altar during the celebration of the Eucharist. In addition, this traditional prayer was read.

A prayer upon completing an icon

You, yourself, O Lord,

Are the fulfillment and completion

Of all good things.

Fill my soul with joy and gladness,

For you alone are the Lover of Humankind.

Let your grace sanctify and dwell

Within this icon,

That it may edify and inspire those

Who gaze upon it and venerate it,

That in glorifying the one depicted,

They may be repentant of their sins

And strengthened against every attack

Of the adversary.

Through the prayers of the Theotokos,

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke,

And all the Saints,

O Savior, save us!

AMEN.

The White Angel of Serbia: Day 5!

It was an incredibly full day, as we finished lingering projects, added Gabriel's staff, the detail on the tomb, and then gilded our icons with 23K gold leaf, and finally, traced on the flying hair ribbons and halo.

Thank you again to the St. Mary's iconographers for a wonderful week. I hope to add pictures from their blessing of the icons on Sunday.

The White Angel of Serbia: Day 4

Today we laid in the face, hands and check out those great shoes!

Sankir, First Flesh

Second Flesh, the first highlight

Third Flesh, draws the light closer to the eyes and center of the face

Fourth Flesh adds more light and begins to highlight the wisdom mark, or third eye

Fifth Flesh adds more light still...

The Enliveners brighten the eyes and other light-catching parts of the face, and the eyebrows, and other eye details bring the face to life...

And below are more pictures of  St. Mary's iconographers, working hard and well...

The White Angel of Serbia: Day 3

Today Gabriel got fabulous hair, fancy wings, and a cozy robe...and empty shroud... tomorrow, face, hands and fantastic sandals...

Our iconograhers, hard at work...

Below, the hair is revealed with four increasingly bright highlights...

The White Angel of Serbia: Day 2

Thank you to St. Mary's iconographers for another great day. Today we began adding light to our icons, starting with the "stone" upon which Gabriel is sitting, then moving on to the tomb, the ground, and finally the roof and second-wings. Tomorrow we'll highlight Gabriel's first set of wings, then move on to giving him (?) some great garb, and highlighting the shroud as well...