Rolling forest.mp4

the flat abstraction of the shapes and colours together

Francis with the Gospels and Clare with the eucharist

flanked by Sister moon and brother sun

an icon for the Maltfriscans

Father Francis and Mother Clare

completed icon of st Mary Magdalene

here is a piece on Mary Magdalene from the Orthodox Chrisitian web site: site http://www.denver.goarch.org/parishes/Grand_Junction/mary_magdalene/

The Life of Mary Magdalene

First, a word about this Saint, one of the holy Myrrh Bearers and Equal to the Apostles, Mary Magdalene.She is NOT in any way whatsoever as portrayed in that blasphemous and sacrilegious contemporary novel titled the DaVinci Code.

Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman, of the tribe of Isaachar, born in the city of Magdala (thus her name, "Mary of Magdala" or "Mary Magdalene"). Her family was very devout and she was raised in traditional Jewish piety. She was orphaned at the age of ten, but continued her pious life while growing up among her extended family, attending the synagogue frequently and reading the Scriptures. By the way, it was not uncommon for Jewish women of that time to be educated and to read the Scriptures at home.

Mary was afflicted with seven demons: those of pride, envy, wrath, avarice, sloth, gluttony, and lust. Mary struggled against the fierce attacks of these demons, and never succumbed to them. She was unable, by her own power, to totally cast them away from herself, and it was thus necessary for Jesus Himself to cast these demons out of her. Mary Magdalene is referred to in the New Testament as the "woman out of Whom Jesus cast the seven demons." Mary Magdalene was about six years younger than [Mary Mother of Jesus]the Panagia, the Theotokos, and was well known to her. The Mother of God loved her like a sister, and it is thus not surprising that Mary of Magdala became one of her Son's followers. Apparently she was a woman of some means, and her family of some significance for she helped support the work of Jesus and His disciples, and later had access to Caesar in Rome. After Jesus' death and burial, Mary Magdalene was naturally among His kinswomen who came to the tomb early in the morning to complete the process of preparing His body for burial since Joseph of Arimathea and Nikodemos were forced to do so hurriedly on Friday afternoon before the sun set and the Sabbath began. After the resurrection, Mary Magdalene became a strong witness and traveling preacher of the Gospel, and for this she is referred to as an "equal to the Apostles." Mary Magdalene died peacefully and was buried in a cave that is said to be the same place where years later the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus were buried. Her relics were later taken to Constantinople.

The Red Egg

Her travels eventually took Mary Magdalene to Rome, where because of her family's standing she was able to obtain an audience with the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar. Her purpose was to protest to him that his governor in Judea, Pontius Pilate, and the two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, had conspired and executed an innocent man, namely our Lord Jesus Christ. According to the tradition, everyone visiting the Emperor was supposed to bring him a gift.  Mary Magdalene took an egg (representing the stone which had been rolled away) to the Emperor's palace and handed it to Tiberius Caesar with the greeting: "Christ is risen!" Tiberius Caesar, naturally, could not believe what he heard and responded to her: "How could anyone ever rise from the dead? It is as impossible as that white egg to turn red." While Tiberius was speaking these words, the egg in the hand of Mary Magdalene began changing color until it finally became bright red. Thus the Pascha greeting -- in universal Christendom, both East and West -- has ever since remained "Christ is risen!" and it became traditional for Christians throughout the world to color eggs in red. Mary Magdalene then went on to explain to Tiberius Caesar that the now-red egg symbolized life rising from a sealed chamber, Mary Magdalene is painted in iconography holding the red egg once presented to Tiberius Caesar, which she used to explain the mystery of Christ rising from a sealed tomb. She then assisted St. John the Theologian in Ephesus. She preached boldly the gospel of the Risen Lord whom she loved.

Hagia Maria Magdalena

first layers of lights

drawing in the geometric lines of the robe

a new icon depicting St Mary Magdalene

based on the icon by Br Robert Lentz OFM.He is my favourite iconographer. 

adding the background colours,the main colour in this icon is going to be red, so I want the gold to have a bluey greeny hue to off set and highlight the reds. 

the gold is so lovely.

small tester of a Rublev angel

icon of saint Nicholas

starting with a pencil sketch and inscribing the lines

blocking in the colours 

the first stage of lights

adding in the halo and name

painting in the border.

final touches, the border and silvered frame

adding detail to the clothing

completing the halo and lettering

petit lac stage

reinstating the lines

first few layers of lights

my work space on holiday in County Cork, Molly's Cottage, Pallas Pier.

what an inspirational and beautiful peninsula.

New icon of the Prophet Daniel (150 BC)  - meaning God is my Judge.

He holds a scroll of biblical text

wears the robes of the prophet to a royal court and a head tefillin showing his Jewish faith. 

(Taken for a slave as a youth to the Persian king Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel rises in favour because of his interpretation of the king's dreams.)

beginning stages of the icon. 

Trying out the gold paint instead of gold leaf.

begun in October 2015 finished in May 2016.

Our Lady of the Unburned Bush is complete.

Blessed at St Mary Magdalene Church Maltby, By Fr May of the Maltfriscan Community.

adding white. may take it off again.

reinstating the features

Different virgins

Image of the virgin

In a fountain with Jesus on her lap

The water flows from the right

Life giving fountain.

Image of the Virgin – walled garden

She with her baby

She is the fruitful, nourishing walled garden

And on her face she ponders

She sorrows

She sits in a reverie

Burning bush

She is the burning bush

Her clothes a covered in branches of flame and fire

Red hot

Arms outreaching face inward smiling

The promise of the Old Testament

Never fading rose

She is the never fading rose

Her garment – creations plants and flowers

Fruitfully pollinating, blooming in their prime

Her garments overgrown

With fragrant fruitfulness

Baby in her arms.

Note to self when painting an icon.

The lettering to straighten up

Mary’s halo to erase -  half, no all of it

and repaint

Scraped and re-measured - the halos to tidy up

the gilding

with a knife.

This is the third major hack-back. At this point.

The onion gravy incident

The gold over-shoot

The wonky lettering

The flames, at least three different styles of flame

Mary’s head

Mary’s hands

Mary’s face

The mountain

Jesus.

Help.

The halos. 

There are so many things wrong with this element alone, 

the initial measuring, 

the over thick application on size making the gold wrinkly.

This is a pure and simple case

Of doing things, 

that is the steps

Of icon painting

In the wrong order.

Trying to use an accurate instrument on a wonky circle is challenging

Just do it right in the first place and all will be well.

A bit like quilting

The seams Have to be perfectly matched up, 

accurately cut, 

correctly pinned, 

expertly sewed

It all has to be right or it ruins the pattern

It messes the whole thing up.

The circle of the halo must be drawn accurately.