Handpainted Icons
Byzantine iconography flourishes in monastic communities, because the painting of an icon is a consequence of prayer. Photios Kontoglou, renowned modern iconographer, expressed the purpose of icons as: "They raise the soul and mind of the believer who sees the icon to the realm of the spirit, of the incorruptible kingdom of God, as far as this can be achieved with material means." To understand iconography fully, it must be approached as an art form whose function is essentially spiritual, not created by mere technical acumen. As the core of Orthodox monastic life is ceaseless prayer, a symbiotic relationship occurs between the monastic’s prayer and the expression evidenced in the icons painted.
The icons from the Monastery’s studio are painted using gesso, egg tempera, acrylic, gouache and embellished with gold leaf. Of particular note is the incorporation of gold gilding in the iconographic work, a technique which is rapidly becoming a lost art. The Monastery does not hand-paint small icons.
If you wish to commission a hand-painted icon, lead-time is required and please note that the cost of a hand-painted icon varies greatly from an icon that is mounted on wood. Below is a sampling of icons from the Monastery’s Studio.
