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.

What's Next / An Important Update on My Summer Workshop

My next post will be my next completed miniature, a portrait drawing in silverpoint, graphite and white on toned gessoed panel. Until then, an important announcement regarding my next egg tempera workshop:

I will need to hear from five or more definite participants by June 10th in order to hold the opportunity of the private summer workshop in egg tempera in position for early August. To help you decide if you are considering attending, here is some additional information:

The location in Brooklyn, NY is within driving distance from most neighboring major cities and approx. 30 minutes from mid-Manhattan via subway. PLEASE NOTE: the dates have moved slightly to Tuesday through Thursday, August 3, 4, and 5. The cost is $300 for two full days of instruction 10 AM to 6PM with a one-hour lunch break, and $400 for three full days, excluding accommodations which are running approx. $200 and up per night, BUT only if booked now at the Holiday Inn Express and and at similar locations very near the venue in Brooklyn. The workshop fee also covers a gesso panel to paint on, and a few basics (like eggs!), but not all of your art materials, so please plan to bring paints and brushes with you, and a reasonable supply list will be provided to guide you on what you will need.

For those who wish for it, and because I have included the optional of three days instruction: if it is the group's desire to spend part or all of the additional day out on a field trip, it is also my personal delight to take you to one or more possible locations: The Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium at Coney Island, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, or a New York City Cathedral tour including St Patrick's Cathedral. I hear that an exciting new version of the musical "Promises, Promises" is returning to Broadway this summer, and there are many exciting ways to spend your evenings in the Big Apple during your stay.

Your $100 check holds your spot in the workshop, but I will need to at least receive your email responses by June 10th (please email mona@monadianeconner.com). Inquiries also welcomed.

Miniatures and small works for direct purchase in my Etsy shop

"The Bluebird of Happiness," $400 (miniature painting)

"Heaven is Like a Rose in Bloom," $700 (small work)

"San Diego Freedom Flag, Version II," $1500 (small work)

As promised, here are some examples of the items I have for direct sale in my Etsy shop. There is a range in both the items and prices being offered, and there will be a few surprises from time to time too! :-) To see more, or to make a purchase, you can visit my shop here: MonaDianeConner.Etsy.com

One of my favorite supports for egg tempera and for miniature painting

At left is a 3/16" thick birch ply panel from Pandora, and on the right is a 1/4" thick masonite panel from Chester Gilder

Certain types of surfaces, or supports, are important to use with the medium of egg tempera. Egg tempera requires a painting surface that is both rigid and very absorbent. Some of the popular miniature painting surfaces such as drafting film, mylar, polymin, and ivorine would not ideally meet either of these requirements. The surface most universally preferred by egg tempera painters, which oil painters also still enjoy is traditional gesso, sometimes also called true gesso, which is the gesso that was produced prior to the advent of acrylic gesso. Traditional gesso recipes vary, but are usually composed primarily of rabbitskin glue and some form of whiting.

There is a fundamental incompatibility between the plastic content in acrylic gesso and egg tempera which can be risky for long-term adhesion. The greater absorbency of true gesso compared to acrylic formulas is an additional reason why it is so nice for egg tempera painting. It's piano-key smooth surface also makes it ideal for the refined details in miniature painting. Egg tempera painting superimposes many thin translucent layers with glazing and scumbling as the primary method of paint application, and traditional gesso can absorb these thin layers.

The labor involved in producing a true gesso panel, which involves cooking the gesso, painting at least four to eight layers on a wood or masonite panel, avoiding air bubbles and sanding it smooth, (combined with the difficulty of doing smaller cuts in the case of miniature panels) accounts for the cost of purchasing pre-made gesso panels. In fact, some artists actually prefer to make their own, sometimes doing "panel-making week" once or twice a year to produce the supply they will need.

I prefer to buy mine pre-made so that I can spend more of my time painting, and there are a number of panel makers out on the market producing quality panels. It's easy to see how True Gesso got it's name, and their panels come highly recommended, so I look forward to trying them too. My suppliers so far have been Pandora, which also produces icon panels, and Alexandra Hadik of Chester Gilder (*click on 'custom framing') who airbrushes the gesso on. Pandora will cut to custom sizes, and Alexandra has been willing in the past to cut me a batch of small mini panels to approximate sizes for my workshops, or for my own use, which for a flat fee gives me an ongoing supply.

my lecture/demo at Kingsborough

One of a series of large spiritual portraits in progress which I brought along to my lecture/demo for the illustration class and Art Club at Kingsborough College. The dark red area is red clay bole painted over the gesso in preparation for water gilding. At right are two patches---one of burnished gold leaf, and the other of a mother-of-pearl tile, which will border the gold leaf area of the portrait.

Right on the heels of my lecture/demo at Kingsborough Community College and producing an article on my work in miniature, I travelled to help and support my family at two graduations in New York and North Carolina. It felt wonderful to be present on these special occasions in my niece and nephew's lives, but it's great also to finally have time to share with you in more depth my experience at Kingsborough, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm told that the article I wrote for Small Talk, the Miniature Art Society of Florida's newsletter, will be published in the next issue, which comes out very soon.

For the lecture/demo at Kingsborough I covered highlights on three topics: miniature painting, egg tempera, and water gilding. I wish I had a picture to share with you of the enthusiastic and attentive illustration class and Art Club in attendance! (If anyone present took one, I hope you'll email me at mona@monadianeconner.com.) I talked with this group about the world of miniature art competition, sharing four of my miniature paintings along with some favorite show catalogs and books on miniature art. Among them were Wes and Rachelle Siegrist's Exquisite Miniatures, Love and Loss, American Portrait and Mourning Miniatures, by Robin Jaffee Frank, and The Monarchy in Portrait Miniatures From Elizabeth I to Queen Victoria, by D.S. Lavender Antiques, Ltd.

Next I demonstrated how I prepare egg tempera medium, and mix my egg tempera in several different ways, both in advance and on my palette. I showed them where I was in my progress on the egg tempera portions of the large panel painting above. I explained how with this spiritually-toned portrait I am borrowing aspects of icon painting to echo a spiritual feeling, such as working on a traditional arched icon panel with it's niched edge, and the inclusion of water gilding.

Having painted several layers of red clay bole on the background of the painting in progress, I demonstrated the laying down of one piece of gold leaf after moistening it with the breath, known in icon painting as "the breath of God". The professor who invited me to do this demo, Valerie Sokolova and I took lessons together in the past at the Prosopon School of Iconology, where more recently she has become a teacher, so in tandem with her I talked with the class a little about icon painting, it's spiritual significance, and how it involves both egg tempera and gold leaf.

I also brought along an actual icon painting I have in progress, and since Daisy, an Art Club member in attendance, expressed an interest in learning about icon painting, perhaps I'll do a post on this topic in the near future on my spiritual portraits blog,

Grander Joy of Spirit in Portraiture. Interesting questions arose on all three topics, and all too soon our time together was over. Delightful refreshments were served afterwards. Special thanks to my friend and colleague Valerie Sokolova, to dept. chair Judith Wilde, and to all the students and members of the Art Club in attendance. I really enjoyed meeting you!

Since I am catching up, tomorrow is when I'll cover just part of a topic that I will be including in this summer's Egg Tempera workshop: true gesso as a painting surface.

An article in progress on my work in miniature

Today I am preparing an article on my work in miniature art for next issue of the Miniature Art Society of Florida newsletter. More coming soon....

The Parklane Miniature Show, Opening Tomorrow

The Parklane Gallery's 18th Annual Miniature Show begins tomorrow, May 4th, with over 300 miniatures on view, and will remain open til June 6th at 130 Park Lane in Kirkland, Washington near Seattle. Park Lane is open from 11AM to 6PM daily. I'm pleased to report that both "Madonna in the Leaves" and "Tulip Garden at Giverny" shown in my April 27 post, have been juried into this international miniature show.

I'm also preparing for a lecture/demonstration which Judith Wilde and Valerie Sokolova have graciously invited me to offer at Kingsborough College in Brooklyn this Wednesday, and I hope to have a picture or two to share from that experience later this week.

Two Miniature Shows Opening Today!

"Carribean Cruise Flag," (shown at actual size), 3 1/16" x 2 1/2", (framed size 5 7/8" x 4 7/8") egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum, at Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, North Carolina, or visit my art at Seaside to purchase this painting online

"Niche in Aix en Provence," (enlarged for detail), 1 7/8" x 1 1/2", (framed size 3 1/2" x 3 1/2") egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum, The Snow Goose Gallery, Bethlehem, PA (to purchase visit The Snow Goose Gallery)

I also have lovely items for sale in my new Etsy store online, which I'll introduce next post, but it's here too: Art by MonaDianeConner at Etsy

"Tulip Garden at Giverny," and more tulips at home

"Madonna in the Leaves," 2 5/8" x 1 7/8", egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum

"Tulip Garden at Giverny," 2" diameter (shown enlarged for detail), oil over gold leaf on bone

view of the open basket box and lid

Tulips at home in Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Bird bath at the Litchfield garden

Tulips and grape hyacinth at the Litchfield garden

I'm hoping Parklane Gallery (in Kirkland, Washington) accepts "Tulip Garden at Giverny" since it has a dimensional quality to it. I've sent two miniatures to the Parkland Miniature Show, and the other one is "Madonna in the Leaves," shown here at the top.

Local tulips at Litchfield

tulips in Brooklyn's Prospect Park at the Litchfield Villa

More on my tulip painting of Giverny Gardens soon, but today on my walk I very much enjoyed these local tulips in the park on the hill at Litchfield.

More Progress on the Giverny Bone Box

My painting of Giverny Gardens in progress, oil over gold leaf on bone, (2 inches diameter)

Here is a bit more progress on my bone basket box lid painting, as seen from under my magnifier. Still working on the left-hand side.

My Spring Walks

Japanese cherry blossoms on my block

stoop gardens

bleeding hearts

grape hyacinth and ranunculus

tulips winding around an old tree

Life has been busy behind the scenes for me the past few weeks, but I hope to share an update soon on my Giverny bone box miniature. Even when I'm working hard, I try to carve out an hour for a nice walk each day, altering my route each time to make it more fun. Last week I finally remembered to bring along my camera to capture just a few of the sights of Spring, on my block or close by in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Within these scenes there's a miniature or two that I'll look forward to painting.

Egg Tempera Workshop Dates

materials used in painting with egg tempera include yolk of egg and powdered pigments

The dates set so far for my Egg Tempera Workshop in Brooklyn, NY, are two full days in August: Thursday - Friday August 5th and 6th. Please contact mona@monadianeconner.com for more information as it develops.

If there is enough interest in June too, I'll consider setting up a second workshop.

Announcing My Summer Workshop in Egg Tempera

If it's step-by-step paintings, you know that I do them, both here and on one of my other blogs, Grander Joy of Spirit in Portraiture, but there is so much more to know about painting with the medium of egg tempera! With at least 10 or more participants, I'm pleased to announce that I am planning to hold an egg tempera workshop this summer.

Dates, cost, and details will follow when I know how many are interested, but it will take place in Brooklyn, NY. It helps to have some general experience in other painting media, but beginning artists are also welcomed.

If you'd like to participate in my workshop, please email me at: mona@monadianeconner.com. and please let me know your preference for a June or August workshop.

"Heaven on Earth"

(double hand-painted museum mats in floral frame (click image to see it larger)

"Heaven on Earth Rose," 2 3/8" x 2 7/8", (shown actual size), egg tempera on vellum

$600 + $15 shipping/handling ~ on Etsy

In honor of my late father's birthday in March, I'm offering for sale the completed and framed miniature painting of the floribunda rose called "Heaven on Earth."

Giverny Gardens on Gold Leaf

(click to see it larger)

Miniature painting of Giverny Gardens in progress, 2 inches in diameter, oil paint over gold leaf on bone basket box lid (my photo of Giverny Gardens is on the left, isolated in a similar circle)

Giverny Gardens Painted on a Bone Basket Box

lid and bottom of bone basket box, image area is 2 inches in diameter

bone basket box

I'll be posting my rose miniature for sale as soon as it's frame arrives.

Meanwhile, however, I am so excited to try this new challenge---painting a miniature of Giverny gardens on this exquisitely carved bone basket box! Some of you know that in 2007 I had the great experience of visiting Monet's Giverny gardens during tulip time in April. I've had a number of miniature paintings in mind to paint from my experience at Giverny.

Here I'm experimenting with the best way to try egg tempera on this smooth bone surface, very like ivory, but when I reached this point above, I realized my medium was not adequately absorbed and secured on the bare surface itself, so I am recording this try and wiping it off in order to apply a hide-glue-based ground on which I can paint with egg tempera more successfully. I may seal it all with liquin upon completion; I may add some oil paint highlights on top. I'd like to try adding gold leaf to the inner rim around box lid too. We'll see. It will take a bit of extra patience, but that is what miniature painting is all about, and I'll post my progress with this tiny landscape as it develops.

a little more progress.....

Kinda creeping along on this, it's mainly the leaves I worked on and hopefully in another few days it's a final post. I'm also hoping to install my new Photoshop software tomorrow, so I'm very excited to try it out!

What's Next

"Heaven on Earth Rose," (Step 3), egg tempera miniature on vellum

I'm back online, and I have several things going on. Above is my latest rose miniature as it looked when last posted and I'll have some progress to show you on this painting soon. I'm installing and adjusting to some new software, and it's tricky, but I know that some important improvements will come out of this effort.

I'm also working very hard to finalize four of my large paintings, and begin several new ones to be included in my portfolio which will be submitted to galleries who may represent my work. You can follow my progress with this on my spiritual portraits blog: Grander Joy of Spirit in Art

Update

Just a further update that due to a hard drive crash, I'm still trying to get back into gear! Although I got the hard drive replaced, got the computer home, and started reinstalling software, a new mystery sound is sending my iMac back to the repair shop tomorrow.

I trust my persistence will pay off, but until I can post, I hope all is going well for you and am wishing all the readers of my blog a great start in the new year.

Happy New Year and computer problems

Happy New Year everyone!!

Just a heads-up also in case it's a little while until I can post. I'm fielding some computer problems, but hoping to be back in action soon!

Completed Drawings of Corin and Ona

"Corin's Room", 8" x 10", graphite portrait drawing (click image to enlarge)

detail (click to enlarge)

"Ona's Room", 10" x 8", graphite portrait drawing (click to enlarge)

detail (click to enlarge)

Merry Christmas Ona and Corin!

Merry Christmas also to all of my blog readers and buyers, and thank you for watching my art journey this year! I hope your day has also included some snow.

progress on portrait drawings

Here is a detail from a 10" x 8" drawing I'm working on of Corin's sister Ona.

Ona loves horses, so she is holding a tiny colt, and sitting with some of her favorite dolls.

"Corin" in progress

"Corin", 10" x 8", (small work), graphite portrait in progress

Here is a study I've got going for a portrait effort. I've got errands to run today, so I'll get back to this later with a further post, but here is my friend Corin, in her room with some of her favorite dolls and treasures.

Additional note: took my signature off this original post-in-progress in case it was unclear, but it's a drawing still in progress, an informal scene, which will be including her favorite stuffed dog in front of her on a striped bedspread.

"Laguna Rose" Birthday art

"Laguna Rose", 5 3/4" x 4 1/4", graphite miniature drawing of my mother, Marcia, for her December 7th birthday

Spent part of Dec. 7 working on this drawing of my Mom, a moment captured when she was on vacation in Laguna Beach, just enjoying a rose arbor, in the summertime. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mom!

Surprise Commission After More Progress --(Shhh!!!)

6 1/2" x 3 3/4", completed graphite miniature portrait on Avon Smoothcard

I'll reveal who is in this miniature portrait later on, but it's a surprise, so Shhh!

Surprise Commission --(Shhh!!!)

6 1/2" x 3 3/4", miniature portrait (in progress), graphite on Avon Smoothcard

Here is my start on a dual miniature pencil portrait, but it's a secret about who it is, and who it is for, so Shhh!

"Heaven on Earth Rose," Step 3

"Heaven on Earth Rose," in progress, shown at actual size

Another progress update after two more sessions on the rose. The hardest areas to blend in egg tempera are open areas, or areas with a shadow that has to fade into a light area. In this painting that is happening in several of the outer petals, and I am still working on evening out that blend.

Flowers are a great challenge because they are so subtle in the variations of tones and colors petal to petal. Egg tempera is a perfect medium for subtle variations because of what can be accomplished with transparent glazing and translucent scumbling.

Progress on "Heaven on Earth Rose"

Heaven on Earth Rose (in progress), 2 1/2" x 2 7/8", egg tempera on Kelmscott vellum

Here's an update on my progress with my second in a series of rose miniatures. As mentioned earlier, this kind of miniature which zeros in on a small subject is one that some refer to as 'atypical' because it has all the qualities of a miniature, except 1/6th scale. More to come on it, plus a start on a new miniature.

The previous step in "Heaven on Earth Rose" as it posted earlier this Fall, (a Floribunda species called, "Heaven on Earth")

My Niece Goes to the Nationals!!!!!!!!!

A pause just to say: My niece's college soccer team WON THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE TITLE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Lauren and the Davidson Wildcats, & onward to the National championship!

Lauren's Shining Moment

"Sweet Pea Blossom," 3" x 2", egg tempera on vellum, NFS

"When Lauren Smiles," 2 7/8" x 3 3/4", egg tempera on gessoed panel, NFS

Above are two miniature portraits I created of my brother's daughter, Lauren, which were on exhibit in the first Miniature Art Society of Florida annual miniature show that I participated back in (2003). More recently you may remember that I drew a pencil portrait of Lauren on her birthday in an earlier post in Aug. '09.

As her Aunt, I'm very proud of her for yesterday scoring the winning goal for her women's college soccer team against the #1 team, enabling her team to advance to the Southern Conference championship game against Charleston tomorrow! It was an absolute thrill also today for me to see her pictured on the Southern Conference homepage. I'll be routing for you and your team tomorrow, Lauren!

"Eric", Final Version

"Eric," 8 1/2" x 8", small work, final version of the pencil portrait of my nephew Eric

Although my initial drawing made a nice study of Eric himself, I wanted to spend some time on the clothing, but more specifically on the background of this drawing so it is clear to the viewer that Eric is on the subway. The reason is that Eric has loved trains and all things 'train' since the age of 3. He knows the NYC commuter and subway lines inside out (better than Aunt Mona who is a New Yorker of many years), as well as many other train networks around the world as a result of his enjoyment of trains. So of course he knew right away that this was drawn from a photo of him on his last birthday, while riding the "E" train!

Birthday Portrait

"Eric", 8 1/2" x 8", pencil portrait of my nephew for his October birthday (click on the drawing to see it larger)

I'll replace this with another scan after I put some final touches on the clothing in this, but I'm going to visit Eric's family in a few hours, and he has been waiting so patiently for his birthday drawing! Happy Birthday, Eric!

Tea Party

"The Bluebird of Happiness #2", 1"x 1", egg tempera on vellum

                "Ona and Corin with Bluebird", 11" x 7", graphite portrait drawing

                                                                                                                                                              Last week I was invited to tea with my friends Martiina, and her daughters, Ona and Corin, who also used to be my neighbors. They have moved to another spot in the area, so on this occasion we had some great fun catching up, eating cake and cookies with hot chocolate and tea, practicing our yoga and dance moves, and playing with pet gerbils! 

Some of you who follow my blog will recall how I made a second miniature painting of my lucky glass bluebird, "The Bluebird of Happiness (#2)" for them to have in their new home. It's an honor that it is posted in a special spot right in between the girls' rooms, and since they posed for a few pictures how could I resist making a drawing of them?!