Carved Wedding Crowns

I recently had the chance to make some wooden crowns for a seminarian planning his wedding.  I had occasionally seen wooden crowns in recent Orthodox weddings and so I knew it was not completely an innovation.  In discussion with the patron we decided on a tiara form, which would include a miniature stone icon and…

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Degraded Iconicity VI: Towards Fullness of Iconicity

This is post 6 of 6 in the series “Degraded Iconicity” Fr. Silouan Justiniano thinks through the effect of contemporary image culture and mechanical reproduction on iconography and our sense of the sacred. The Degraded Iconicity of the Icon: The Icon’s Materiality and Mechanical Reproduction Degraded Iconicity II: Uplifting Materiality and Symbol. Degraded Iconicity III:…

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The Falling Asleep of Ksenia Pokrovsky

News that Ksenia Mikhailovna Pokrovskaya had fallen asleep in the Lord on Sunday, July 7, 2013 was a profound shock. Though she had chronic hypertension, she had not been ill. She was tired, yes, for many years, but still actively sharing her wisdom and knowledge with clarity and generosity.  For both her family and friends…

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Texan Brewery, Russian Iconographer

On a recent trip to Texas, I encountered a beer which took me by surprise, not for the fact that it was a creative blend of hefeweissen yeast  and Amarillo hops (though that was delightful) but because of its name and label. The beer is called “ICON” and featured a two-tone icon of St. Arnold,…

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Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher

This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Dog Headed Icon of St-Christopher” Jonathan Pageau traces the pattern of meaning in Dog-headed representations of St-Christopher and how they relate to our experience of the world. Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher   This post is…

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Andreas Ritzos and OAJ Nexus

  When Andrew Gould launched the Orthodox Arts Journal (OAJ) in June of 2012, he had in mind the clearinghouse model it has become. It is a service that informs and engages readers in helping to create a culture that values quality Orthodox arts. It is hoped by this effort that a market will emerge…

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Learning Icon Carving with Hexaemeron

Icon carving is an art which has been experiencing a great renewal in Orthodoxy all across the world.  In the last 15 years we have seen several amazing icon carvers appear, with Aidan Hart in England, the Azbuhanov couple in Russia.  The art of miniature carving has also been  finding  a quality it had lost…

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Degraded Iconicity IV: Symbolic and Priestly Craftsmanship

This is post 4 of 6 in the series “Degraded Iconicity” Fr. Silouan Justiniano thinks through the effect of contemporary image culture and mechanical reproduction on iconography and our sense of the sacred. The Degraded Iconicity of the Icon: The Icon’s Materiality and Mechanical Reproduction Degraded Iconicity II: Uplifting Materiality and Symbol. Degraded Iconicity III:…

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Archetype and Symbol II: On Noetic Vision

This is post 2 of 2 in the series “Archetype and Symbol” Fr. Silouan explores the possibility of creativity and the creative act within an Orthodox theological frame. Archetype and Symbol : Thoughts on the Creative Act Archetype and Symbol II: On Noetic Vision   Archetype and Symbol II: On Noetic Vision    Upon reading the…

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