Metropolitan United Church. May 2009 Icon Exhibition

Metropolitan United Church. Icon Exhibition. May 2009

Media

Fantasy Show. Toronto Center of the Arts. May 2012

The Russian Guide Magazine. August 2012 issue, page 18

Getting ready for the Expressions in Art

"Mother of God". Work in progress. 24K gold leaf plated, egg tempera.

"Bride and Groom". Work in progress.
I'll be using 24K gold leaf plated, egg tempera.

Rules and Prayer for Iconographers

• Before starting work, make the sign of the Cross; pray in silence and pardon your enemies
• Work with care on every detail of your icon, as if you were working in front of the Lord Himself
• During work, pray in order to strengthen yourself physically and spiritually; avoid all useless words, and keep silence
• Pray in particular to the Saint whose face you are painting. Keep your mind from distractions, and the Saint will be close to you
• When you choose a colour, stretch out your hands interiorly to the Lord and ask His Counsel
• Do not be jealous of your neighbor work; his/her success is your success too
• When your icon is finished, thank God that His Mercy granted you the grace to paint the Holy Images
• Have your icon blessed by putting it on the Holy Table of your parish church. Be the first to pray before it, before giving it to others
  
  Never forget:

• the joy of spreading icons throughout the world

• the joy of the work of icon writing

• the joy of giving the Saint the possibility to shine through his/her icon
• the joy of being in union with the Saint whose face you are revealing
  

A Prayer from Mt. Athos for Consecrating an Iconographer:

Thou Who hast so admirably imprinted Thy features on the cloth sent to King Abgar of Edessa, and hast so wonderfully inspired Luke Thy Evangelist: Enlighten my soul and that of Thy servant; Guide his hand that he may reproduce Thy features, those of the Holy Virgin and of all Thy saints, for the glory and peace of Thy Holy Church. Spare him from temptations and diabolical imaginations in the name of Thy Mother, St. Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.
A Prayer Before Beginning an Icon:

O DIVINE LORD of all that exists, Thou hast illumined the Apostle and Evangelist Luke with Thy Holy Spirit, thereby enabling him to represent Thy most Holy Mother, the One who held Thee in her arms and said: The Grace of Him Who has been born of me is spread through the world!
Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit. Guide the hands of Thine unworthy servant so that I may worthily and perfectly portray Thine Icon, that of Thy Mother, and all the Saints, for the glory, joy and adornment of Thy Holy Church.
Forgive my sins and the sins of those who will venerate these icons and who, kneeling devoutly before them, give homage to those they represent.
Protect them from all evil and instruct them with good counsel. This I ask through the intercession of Thy most Holy Mother, the Apostle Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.
A Prayer After Completing an Icon:

Thou, Thyself, O LORD, art the fulfillment and completion of all good things. Fill my soul with joy and gladness, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
Let Thy 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.

Source: http://www.ikonograph.com/prayers.html

Icon by Marianna Savaryn

Good day!

I would like to share this great video by Marianna Savaryn. She presents an icon of St. Philip and shows how to use Swarovski pearls and crystals on the icon. Enjoy!

Exhibition of Ukrainian Icons in Montreal September 7, 2012

Last week we went to Montreal where I exhibited two icons (Our Lady of the Sign & Hutsulska Mother of God) at the Exhibition of Ukrainian Icons at Patriarch Joseph Slipyi Ukrainian Museum. 

My Work...

Mother of God

Archangel Gabriel

Hutzulska Mother of God

Mother of God

St. Nicokai

Mother of God

St. Anna

John the Baptist

Iconography & Folk-Art Workshops

Good day Everybody! 

I'd like to share some info with you:

Icon Painting on Glass
Conceptualized by Romanian peasants, icon painting on glass incorporates the tradition of venerative painting with a primitive aesthetic. This course will introduce students to the tradition of iconography in an inclusive and laid back atmosphere. 

7:00 - 9:00 pm. Monday, September 17 - October 29, 2012

Icon Painting on glass workshop with two artists/iconographers fromUkraine, Yurii Rafaliuk and Vasyl Karpiv.

Byzantine Iconography 
Wednesdays, September 16 - October 24, 2012
6 workshops - 6:30 - 9:00 pm.

Learn the origins and philosophy of an age-old practice. Experienced artists/instructors from Ukraine will guide you through the process of icon painting from start to finish, including mindfulness preparation to putting the final gold leaf finishing touches on your unique icon.


Icon Writing/Beginners 
Icon Writing workshop for Beginners with Alex Mezentsev, iconographer/instructor
September 25 - November 27, 2012
Fee: $250./10 sessions - 30 hours (paint board included).

...Picture from our iconography studio

Working on the icon Lady of the Sign.

Fantasy Show by ARCAF

At the Fantasy Show by Arcaf, May 25, 2012 at the Toronto Center of the Arts.

Icons: "St. Nikolai", 24K gold, egg tempera.
           "Theotokos", 24K gold, egg tempera.
           "Hutzul Mother of God", 24K gold, egg tempera. 
           

Theotokos

Icon "Mother of God". 24K gold, egg tempera. Work in progress.

The English term Mother of God is mostly used as an imprecise translation of Theotokos, and frequently requires explanation.^[5] The other principal use of Mother of God has been as the precise and literal translation of Μήτηρ Θεού, a Greek term which has an established usage of its own in traditional Orthodox and Catholic theological writing, hymnography, and iconography. In an abbreviated form ΜΡ ΘΥ it often is found on Eastern icons (see illustration above), where it is used to identify Mary.

Source: "Theotokos", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theotokos

Icon "Our Lady of the Sign". 24K gold, egg tempera. Work in progress.

The icon depicts the Theotokos during the Annunciation at the moment of saying, "May it be done to me according to your word."(Luke 1:38). The image of the Christ child represents him at the moment of his conception in the womb of the Virgin. He is depicted not as a fetus, but rather vested in divine robes, and often holding a scroll, symbolic of his role as teacher. Sometimes his robes are gold or white, symbolizing divine glory; sometimes they are blue and red, symbolizing the two natures of Christ (see Christology). His face is depicted as that of an old man, indicating the Christian teaching that he was at one and the same time both a fully human infant and fully the eternal God, one of the Trinity. His right hand is raised in blessing.
The term Virgin of the Sign or Our Lady of the Sign is a reference to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel". Such an image is often placed in the apse of the sanctuary of an Orthodox church above the Holy Table (altar).<sup>[2]

Source: "Our Lady of the Sign", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Sign</sup>