New Wall Painting

In August I completed a wall painting on the east wall of my medieval parish church, The Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Fathers, Shrewsbury, England. On some of the other walls there already exist simple medieval wall paintings, dating from around 1380 A.D., but the east wall was newly plastered during recent restoration work…

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Painting an Icon; the Hexaemeron Workshop

I am not an icon writer nor am I an icon painter, if it makes a difference. I am the founder and administrator of the non-profit organization Hexaemeron which sponsors courses in iconography. As such, I once attempted to make a St. Paul icon to familiarize myself with the process so that I could write…

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The Mystery of Ethiopian Iconography

Ethiopian Christianity presents many mysteries to us, their unique use of Old Testament typology, their concentric churches, their claim of having the Ark of the Covenent and its use in liturgy – these all create an obscure but fascinating question.  I went to Ethiopia in 2009 to discover more about their liturgical arts.  I would…

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The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division? (Pt. 5)

This is post 5 of 5 in the series “The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division?” Fr. Steven Bigham Explores the icon as a universal language of Christianity through scripture, councils and tradition. The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division? The Icon: Sign of Unity or Division? (pt. 2) The Icon: Sign of Unity or…

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Divine Temple 2012

I would like to draw the reader’s attention to this wonderful publication from Russia. Kolomenskaya Versta Ltd. produces albums, manuals, catalogs and postcards featuring and publicizing contemporary iconography and liturgical art. The fourth edition of their catalog of iconographers, “Divine Temple”  is now available. It is printed in English and Russian. From the publisher: We…

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Folk Icons in Russia

Pravmir.com has an article up featuring an ongoing exhibit of Russian “folk icons”. I have included a few images below, but the article should be read in its entirety. A few things come to mind when looking at these folk icons. As the author points out, these icons have a certain “warm-heartedness” about them, and…

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