The Blue Madonna: a glass icon
circa 1995, written through me.
My interest in the use of gold leaf goes back to a contemporary fresco 'fragment' that i saw in a Boston show. don't remember the gallery, don't remember the artist, but i remember the light of the gold. I used gold decoratively on paper and driftwood , then abandoned it. years later i discovered Peruvian Imports verre eglomise hand mirrors, trays and household accessories. This ignited a desire to combine my love of reverse glass painting with metal leaf. This is one of my first attempts, loosely based on a fascination with the "Black Madonna". The black madonna is an icon that deepens with age, eventually turning 'black'. some of the discoloration towards black may be the inherent nature of the pigments to change over time, the presence of silver may cause a darkening, and the accumulation of soot from the candles used to illuminate the madonna.
in theological terms an icon is a prayer written through paint and color. the iconographer listens with an inner ear and in cooperation with the holy spirit 'writes' the image. all colors have theological meaning. god calls the iconographer, and all one needs to do to become an iconographer is to copy another icon, the spirit will direct the work.
in this Blue Madonna, i answered a call, but did not know the way. since this beginning i have gone on to study and teach the way of the icon through workshops offered through my art studio.
as always,
this work is offered up for the comfort of the people.
if you are interested in learning more about glass icon painting, here is an excellent youtube link to the master Byzantine glass iconographers.
questions/comments welcomed by leaving a note here or email to: elli01930@yahoo.com
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