The Annunciation to Mary - 

Hopefully you will be able to zoom in on Mary's left hand.  She is holding a drop spindle and was busy spinning when the angel showed up and really changed her day!  There are two traditions concerning where she was, and what she was doing, when she encountered the angel; one is that she was spinning, which is the one I've chosen here; the other is that she was at the well drawing water to bring home.  I'll probably do that icon soon.  

This is a "practice" icon - in that I did it on a lightweight "Claybord" (tm) and then framed that, and also I experimented with some of the 23.5 Karat gold leaf I used.  It seems to have worked, but we'll know for sure in a couple of centuries whether or not it is a good idea.  Stay tuned!  This is the icon I was working on when I hosted 4 middle school age girls and their home schooling teachers and mothers a couple of months ago.  Now the icon is complete and ready to be blessed so that it can contribute to the spiritual growth of all who come before it as they read this story in the gospel according to Luke.

As usual, the photography of gold leaf is tricky because it is so highly reflective at certain angles.  It's almost like taking a photo of a mirror!  It's with good reason that genuine gold represents the mystical spiritual dimensions of theology - it's constantly changing, yet it never changes at all.  

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.

Mary Magdalene - Apostle to the Apostles

Mary Magdalene is the first witness to the Resurrection.  My icon of her shows her carrying an expensive container of myrrh to be used for the final anointing of Jesus' body - she is on her way to his tomb early on Sunday morning.  I portrayed her as somber, somewhat in shock at what has happened to him, with the predawn light glistening on her outer robe.  She is 30 something, now tall, strong and healthy after her encounter with Jesus who healed her and cast out the 7 devils that had tormented her.  Soon she'll arrive at the tomb - and the glorious news of the Resurrection will be made clear to her!  And, she in her turn will tell the whole world what has happened!

Copy of Rublev's "Holy Trinity" icon in process

Here's what my copy of Rublev's icon "Holy Trinity" or "The Hospitality of Abraham & Sarah" looked like as it was being painted.  The gilding is done, and the large blocks of color are being laid in place.   It's always tricky to try and photograph gold - the reflections keep blowing away the automatic exposure settings!

Is this perhaps the oldest Christian icon we know of?

I'm working on, and have nearly finished (for now) a moderately large round icon, ca. 22 inches in diameter, that depicts the Baptism of Jesus.  The original is a huge mosaic in the dome of the Arian Baptistry in Ravenna, Italy which dates to ca. 430 A.D.  And yes, Jesus is NOT wearing anything at all.  Didn't bother them.  Doesn't bother me.  Your mileage may vary.  Since I shot this photo I've worked on the details some more.  I needed to clean things up a bit so that I could hang this icon in the ICON SHOW at BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN, 4100 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls - all during Advent 2011.  When working from a mosaic original I find that I have to fight the urge to "go pontillist" (if that's the right spelling of a word that means refer to the school of French 19th Century painters?) and paint itty bitty dots of paint so I would end up with something that looks like a photograph of a mosaic.  I might try that sometime, but not right now.

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 work & hay fever (weird combination)

I always got a kick out of irascible John the Baptist, a.k.a. John the Forerunner.  What a preacher he must have been to hear, that nearly the whole population of ancient Jerusalem hiked through the Judean desert going east to the Jordan just to hear him!  The prototypes of him that I like the best show him as a deeply sunburned hippie, carrying a scroll with a single word on it ... REPENT.  If you haven't listened to Leonard Cohen's "The Future", look it up on iTunes.  REPENT is the repeated phrase in that one.  In its vulgarity, its naked truth telling, its preaching to power ... it is the incarnation of John the Forerunner.   Strong stuff.   Sort of like hay fever that forces me to see everything through blurry eyes, hacking coughs, and sneezes - no matter what I had in mind originally!

There is an equally strong stuff sculpture of J.B. that is in the Baptistery at St. John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN.  Tall, gaunt, rugged and oozing power ... I can imagine him on stage singing Cohen's lyrics.  I can imagine this icon doing the same thing.  Not a comfortable being to have around.  But then, remember Leonard's poem and song, "There Ain't No Cure For Love" - look it up.  You'll find them both in his "Live From London" album.