The Sacred Art of Icon Writing

I reviewed in an earlier post this Spring the topics discussed at a lecture/demo that I offered at Kingsboro College. Among these topics was icon-writing. For anyone who is interested in knowing more about the art and spiritual practice of icon-writing, and the Prosopon School where I have been fortunate to study, I have done a post about this today which I invite you to read on my spiritual portraits blog, Grander Joy of Spirit.

"Lauren's Graduation Day"

"Lauren's Graduation Day," 5" x 7" miniature scale silverpoint, graphite, and egg tempera on blue-toned panel

Here is the completed silverpoint drawing of my niece, Lauren at her May graduation, which is also a promotional example for portrait commissions.

Silverpoint, graphite, & Egg Tempera on Gessoed Panel

5" x 7" miniature scale (1/6th of life size) silverpoint, graphite, & egg tempera work in progress on blue-toned gessoed panel (click on the image to see it at its actual size)

I still have a little work to go on this drawing, a miniature scale small work, but wanted to post it in progress, since it is an example of how nicely egg tempera combines with silverpoint. This is my first try at silverpoint, a method of drawing with silver which produces finer lines than are possible with pencil, which tarnish and darken over time. Silverpoint was utilized by the old masters for preliminary drawings for egg tempera or oil paintings. Modern acrylic-based silverpoint ground can also be great to apply to the surface and draw on, as one of my next miniatures will demonstrate, but in order to include egg tempera, I drew this one on another great surface for silverpoint: true gesso panel.

This drawing is mostly silverpoint with graphite applied in the darkest areas, with soft highlights in white egg tempera. If questions arise, my upcoming Egg Tempera Workshop is a great place for solutions about mixed media with egg tempera too. I was inspired to try silverpoint by two of my friends and colleagues in art, Koo Schadler, and Barbara Freeman. Please take a moment to see their beautiful work in silverpoint.