Artist statement
My work is inspired by Sacred Art, as seen in traditional Byzantine Icons and the great classical masters of Medieval and Renaissance Art. This particular work is a recreation in egg-tempera and pure gold leaf, in the same techniques used in the 15th century. To utilise the reflected light effect of the gold, I painted partly on the gold - lustre technique.
Extended Bio
Icons -Sacred Art in general- have always fascinated me, but it wasn't until 2005 that I had the opportunity to learn to paint, or write, the icon. My first tutor was a Bulgarian Orthodox master (3rd generation iconographer), in The Hague (The Netherlands), and I followed up with several Icon painting courses in the highlands of Scotland, where I also learned some beautiful (and challenging!) gilding techniques. I use exclusively egg-tempera in my work. I love the fact that it is a traditional and ancient medium, and also that it allows the colour to keep its softness or vibrancy, with a gem-like quality, for centuries, if done and kept properly. I also love the slow pace of the tempera painting process, and the delicate and minute detail it allows, as well as the mother-of-pearl effect the many translucent layers of colour can produce. My first exhibition was at the Aberdeen Art Centre, in 2011. Subsequently I had two more exhibitions at The Blairs Museum, also in Aberdeen. A lot of my work is done on commission, mostly private. Some of it has also gone to churches, for example the Black Madonna, at St. Margaret's R M Church in Lerwick, Shetland, and the four Angel Icons at Pluscarden Abbey, Elgin. It is for me a privilege and a delight, to be able to bring back something of the spirit of Medieval and Renaissance art, and also to keep alive some of the ancient pictorial traditions.
