I've reached the milestone of four hundred posts on JSVB, my visual blog. I present my finished religious icon of Mary, Mother of God.
This icon is painted using traditional technique, but with some modern conveniences. Instead of egg tempera paint, I used acrylic, and instead of powdered gold, I used 23 carat gold leaf. The icon is painted onto gessoed canvas glued to cabinet-grade plywood board. The Greek lettering along the top, "Μρ θγ", is shorthand for "Mary Theotokos", which translates loosely to "Mary, Mother of God".
This icon is no masterpiece. I made many mistakes along the way, but that's all part of the learning process. I do like the way this piece turned out in the end. The original image has some visual power that scans and photographs lack.
Mary now watches over my Mom in her home:
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