My icons at Bethlehem Lutheran, Minneapolis were well received.

Nineteen of my icons were on display in the Gallery of Bethlehem Lutheran, Lyndale Ave. South, at 41st Street in Minneapolis, and a dozen others were in the show cases, all during Advent 2011.  

The congregation chose one of my icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary with Jesus on her lap, "Hodegitria" for their annual Christmas card that was reproduced as a full color card and mailed to all families of Bethlehem Lutheran.

I gave two gallery talks, one to a middle school age class and one to an adult forum age group.  Lots of excellent questions and interest in the icons as "theoscopy" - or theology in full color vision!

 This large icon stood at the entrance to the Gallery.  It was dramatically lit and served well to introduce people to the icons.

 Full scale shot of two larger icons hanging on the wall.  The head of the cleric is Bishop Eivind Berggrav, the Bishop of the Resistance in Norway during WWII, and the saint who worked to reconcile Norway and Germany after the war.  The elaborate icon is of St. Olav, the patron saint of Norway.

The plaques below were mounted at the entrance to the Gallery that described the icons and their purpose.  I received many comments about the icons and the links to the scriptures that I had provided.

St. Ladislaus of Hungary - an icon in process.  This is a "naming icon" done on commission for a family.  If I ever figure out how to make him NOT stand on his head, I'll resubmit this blog entry!  But for now I'm still giggling at the silly things this blog does ;-))

St. Olav of Norway

St. Olav (Olaf) of Norway was martyred on 29 July 1030 - killed at the Battle of Stikklestad, near Trondheim, Norway.  My icon shows him as a crowned king, holding the battle ax that killed him, and the orb of the eternal heavenly kingdom.  The large domed nails of the frame add weight and dimension to the icon.  I painted this on a one inch thick wood panel, in acrylics, using 24K gold leaf.  The patron is Norwegian and the icon now lives in Oslo, Norway.  It measures ca. 7.5 inches by 10 inches.

This is the preliminary design for an icon of "Haakon the Good" who as a Viking king of Norway caught between the powerful pagan interests of some of his nobles, and the increasing popularity of the Christians.  The great dragon on his right represents the culture around him.  The Christ figure is taken from an ancient stone cross.  He's in the middle.

He was a Christian.  When he was elected King over Norway he asked his nobles if they would convert.  They refused to change.  He refused to abandon Christ.  They worked out a deal - the first recorded instance I'm aware of whereby "freedom of religion" was extended to all parties involved.  The net result ... many years of peaceful co-existence.  As his death approached he was asked if he wanted a Christian funeral or a pagan one.  He chose a pagan one, saying that he did not feel worthy of being buried as a Christian.  His modesty prevailed, even to the end.  His was a wise and fair reign.  Long may he be remembered - as a Christian!

The original icon was presented as a "naming icon" to my grandson, Haakon Erik Olav Homstad on his 10th birthday.  Long may he live!

Icon preparations - Advent 2011 show at Bethlehem Lutheran, Mpls

I'm currently preparing the catalog of about 24 of my icons for a gallery show at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN.  The show will open during the week starting on 7 November 2011 and remain up until January 2012.

Each of the icons will have a description and scripture link associated with it - so that's what I'm working on today.  Once those are prepared, then I'll prepare a description to accompany the icon "writing" process - from the text in the Bible, or the life of a saint, to the drawing, to the preparation of the board and painting surface, applying of genuine 23K gold leaf, colors, final varnish, and dedication.

Stay tuned.  This will take awhile!