Improving Icon Carving Through Drawing

One of the complex questions that faces modern icon carving is the pervasive presence of the painted icon within the tradition of iconography.   For many reasons which I hope to write about in the future, icon carving became a somewhat marginalized art form as the centuries advanced.  And so for myself and the small group…

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The Altar and The Portico (pt.2): Gallery Art

This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Altar and The Portico” Aidan Hart explores the relationships and differences between sacred art and secular gallery art. The Altar and The Portico (pt.1) The Altar and The Portico (pt.2): Gallery Art THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR The Relationship of Orthodox Iconography and Gallery Art…

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The Altar and The Portico (pt.1)

This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Altar and The Portico” Aidan Hart explores the relationships and differences between sacred art and secular gallery art. The Altar and The Portico (pt.1) The Altar and The Portico (pt.2): Gallery Art THE ALTAR AND THE PORTICO (PT.1) The Relationship of Orthodox Iconography and Gallery…

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Carving the Virgin Hodegetria

(Editor’s note: this article was written by Martin Earle, Aidan Hart’s studio assistant who worked to create a commission they received for a statue of the Hodogetria. Martin can be contacted at mart_earle@yahoo.co.uk. ) I always brace myself for a bit of anti-Catholic sentiment when meeting an Orthodox Christian for the first time. A convert myself, I…

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Two New Choros Chandeliers

I have had the opportunity recently to make and install two choros chandeliers, a type of fixture that is of particular interest to me as a designer. I have written previously about similar chandeliers I have installed in churches in Charleston, South Carolina, and Waldorf, Maryland, and I refer readers to those articles for information…

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A Carved and Inlaid Cross, a Collaborative Work

I have recently completed a small but highly interesting project, two years in the making, and involving several master artisans. It is a wooden cross with carved stone icons, crafted like a jewel, wholly traditional, and yet quite unlike anything seen before. This is one of those projects that grew, perhaps providentially, from an initially…

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