St. Hilda of Whitby

I have finished an icon of St. Hilda, one of those powerful women of the English church c. 700. I believe she was there with me in the making of it--making her cuter than she probably was in real life, for one thing!

Stay tuned for the image coming up here in a few days.

St. Therese of Lisieux Icon, Again

This is the second icon I made of cut paper, some time ago--worth considering again. I've moved on to a different sort of standard format, but have thought lately that I might go back to this type sometime. My model was some "headshots" of women saints in a Byzantine Church. As I recall, these were in a border, or at least not the main attraction on the wall where they appeared.

The focus on the face, as opposed to a full figure, makes for a more personal focus, and perhaps for a more arresting image, and maybe in some way a closer connection with the saint.

Reception Desk on a Budget

I designed and built this new reception desk/cashier station for an art gallery and shop in Owosso, Michigan. The budget was not huge, so the choice was made to use economical materials (poplar and birch plywood). Fortunately the wood stain chosen for the piece, a translucent acrylic color stain, is a type of stain that evens out color variations in the wood while allowing much of the interesting grain patterns to show through.

Not shown are the many functional features behind the desk, providing for a cash drawer, filing cabinets, and shelf and drawer storage for office supplies and gift wrapping materials.

And by the way, if you happen to be in the Owosso area, be sure to stop by the Shiawassee Arts Council, an exceptional public arts center with a long and distinguished history of promoting the arts in the community and the surrounding area.

St. Francis Icon II

This is an icon of St. Francis including the Wolf Of Gubbio by Francis' side and a depiction of the burning bush, signifying the Saint's teaching about God's creation.

Next in the series: An icon of St. Hilda, an important saint to Anglicans and English Catholics. She was one of the prominent English abesses of the seventh century. Hilda presided over a joint monastery of men and women, and her prestige and influence as a church leader in her time were like that of a bishop--hence she is often pictured with a crosier like that of a bishop. This icon will be a full-figure one set up a lot like this latest Francis icon, with some interesting differences.

Icon of St. Francis of Assisi with Christ Triumphant

This is my latest icon in cut paper and mixed media, with Jesus Christ telling St. Francis, and all Christians as well, "Build my Church." There's a lot going on here from the St. Francis traditions, including the Wolf of Gubbio and the sun and the moon, plus some stuff generally related to St. Francis (various flora and fauna), plus a burning bush, a Biblical image that I don't think has been associated with S. Francis but certainly can be. The curious cat peeking around the corner of a pedestal, and looking straight at you, was drawn by my son John, age 13, who likes to do cartoons.

Does anyone take away a political meaning from the rainbow behind Jesus' head? If you are doing that, I'm not sure that you should be!

Buy a print at Etsy or contact me directly for one or more copies.

Next up: Look for a version of St. Francis solo (Jesus there in spirit only), maybe with a rainbow or maybe not, but certainly with the wolf and the cat and the blue bird and book of the gospels. Next after that, the Madonna as you have rarely seen her (see the book of Revelation, chapter 12).

Please leave a comment on the work you see here, if the spirit moves. I invite all input!

Christ Pantokrator Icon

This is my latest icon in cut paper and mixed media, an image of Christ Pantokrator, a very old type of icon common to Byzantine churches, executed in mosaic, as well as in small panel icons (painted).

Included in the borders of this icon is a motif more Catholic than Orthodox, that of wheat and grapes (representing the bread and wine of the Eucharist).

Prints of this icon are available to buy at www.artbyraber.etsy.com.

One Day in Rome