Icons

While studying at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts, I was introduced to the Cretan school of Orthodox icon painting. The techniques used in Greek Orthodox icon painting can be traced back to the 1st century BC Fayum mummy portraits and ancient Roman paintings, known for their lifelike quality. I use these techniques to create both traditional and non-traditional icons.

The icons are painted on gesso boards which are hand cut, sanded, and gessoed by my father and I on a native piñon boards. As a nod to ancient Greek geometric sensibilities, we usually cut the boards to the golden ratio. And the custom of using local wood dates back to the Fayum portrait tradition.

To prepare the boards requires painting many layers of gesso, waiting days for each layer to dry, and then sanding the board to a satin smooth surface. I mix my own tempera, combining the pigments, egg yolk, and water into a consistency that will flow easily over the gesso and create a transparent and luminous quality. Each stroke must be deliberate as overlapping tempera will lift off the board or lose its luster. To prepare the surface for gold leaf, I use either rabbit skin and clay glue or gold size adhesive. Placing the gold leaf requires precision, patience, and care. Like painting the saint’s face, I find gilding to be a peaceful and meditative process.