Myconography 101

 Myconography is my shorthand term for interacting with icons, 

which seem to have taken over my life!

This body of works includes icons that I have

• created by painting (writing) or carving 
• "restored" from old images and photos
• worked with others as a team to complete
• commissioned from living iconographers
• purchased, found or been gifted in the last 20 years

This is the very first icon we purchased from a dealer, nearly a decade before we became Orthodox:

The first icon I created began with a book on printed icons, which was falling apart.  

I bonded a paper image to a matching, rough-edged board, to accompany

my mother-in-law Joan on her last journey to her family's crypt, in 2011:

Soon I began collecting antique icons. My job involved lots of international travel, which took me into Orthodox territories, and my shelves looked like this when I retired from my publishing career in 2012.  One of my dealers introduced me to Aidan Hart, and friends pointed me towards other living iconographers in the UK, US, and Canada.  

After I had amassed a wall full of icons, and shelves full of books,

 a friend suggested I should participate in an icon workshop. 

This is my first painted icon from 2012. 

Soon afterwards, I found an ancient icon image on a Greek website, 

which depicted scenes from The Life of St Anthony the Great of Egypt.

It was quite ragged, but I restored it with digital tools and had it printed 

onto a traditional icon board (gesso and cloth on wood).

This icon is a reminder of St Anthony, patron saint of the church we attend.

I have since painted St. Anthony a few times myself.

Here is my most recent icon from a workshop with Kara Gillette,

 the owner of Sophia Icon Studio. 

We met 10 years ago when she took her first icon workshop,

and realized that helping people make icons might be her calling in life.

Here are most  of the icons I’ve created that are still with me —

that is, not (yet) gifted or sold. And yes, that is real gold leaf. 

Here is an icon I worked onn assisting iconographer Teresa Harrison.

My job was to paint the caskets and gates of Hades, locks,  bolts, etc.

This original is in a Texas church; 

My copy is printed on canvas, stretched over a wooden frame.

The largest icon I have painted so far is standing here on the floor. 

Above it  is Jesus, from a workshop with Anton & Kate Daineko.

The Russian Archangel Michael to the right is one of many

 as he is my name saint.

The large icons in our church were painted many years ago by Jan Isham.

Printed weatherproof copies enable us to worship outdoors when necessary. 

Inside St Anthony, where I serve as a subdeacon,

most of the icons were painted/installed by noted iconographer,

Dmitry Shkolnik and his team.

Finally, some of our icons at home.

Not all icons are painted on wooden boards. 

We have icons of wood, brass, printed or painted metal, cloth & stone.

The beautiful carved and gilded icon of Archangel Michael is based on a decorated Bible cover. 

It was commissioned from Jonathan Pageau.

God willing, I will provide more iconographic information in the future. 

Click here to see an interview with us on YouTube,

created by the Cloud of Witnesses Radio team.

Michael & Laurie