![]() Icons also make the people and events of Scripture and church history present for those who venerate icons. According iconographer Linette Martin’s book, Sacred Doorways: A Beginner’s Guide to Icons, iconography took root in the Byzantine Empire in the fourth century as a visual way of communicating Christian truths. The word “icon” means image, and “graphy” refers to writing. Virtually every Orthodox home has at least one icon to pray with.Īn icon is far more than decorative art. market is in Orthodox churches and individuals. While there has been a growing interest in icons beyond Orthodoxy, the primary U.S. More than half, he guessed, are laypeople. In the United States, O’Hanlon estimated three out of four are Orthodox, and most are immigrants or descendents of immigrants. In contrast, Russia likely has several thousand professional iconographers, he said. While there are no professional iconographer associations across the country, George O’Hanlon, executive director of the California-based Iconofile educational group estimates there are fewer than 100 professional icon painters in the United States. “The two most important things in my life, besides the people in my life, have been my faith and art, and to be able to have the two together and to express that every day, (it’s) no longer work.” “My everyday life is now more of a vocation than a job,” says Cole, who left her job as a computer programmer not long after she was introduced to iconography 15 years ago. And as a Roman Catholic, she is one of an even smaller number of professional, self-taught iconographers who are not Orthodox. The term “writing” is preferred to “painting” because, as Cole explained, “You’re writing God’s story in pictures.”Ĭole is one of a relative handful of Americans who practice the art as a vocation. A bit of rubbed-on gold leaf halo adds a holy sheen.Ĭole is a professional iconographer, who creates, or “writes,” the sacred images and instruments of meditative prayer usually associated with Eastern Orthodoxy. Under her brush, the faces of Jesus and the saints emerge with each layer of acrylic gouache, their flesh tones framed by rich reds, greens and blues. If you have a specific design or want something different from our growing library of options, we can produce custom artwork for you and still maintain an affordable budget when compared to large-scale hand-painting.For artist Jody Cole, painting is an act of prayer. Working with talented iconographers, our very best Cathedral icons look virtually indistinguishable from hand-painted frescoes even at very large sizes. We have a collection of Cathedral icons that are suitable for enlargement, and the results are stunning.
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