At Last!

 Back on February 17th  I completed the drawing for what I thought was going to be my next icon - a triptych of the Mother of God of the Burning Bush (or the Unburnt Bush) with flanking figures of the Prophet Moses and the Prophet Isaiah for the prayer corner of the little oratory in my studio.   

My plan was to pray and meditate on the theophany at Sinai during Lent when Roman Catholics read and ponder the Book of Exodus.  

It was a great plan, except that my Lent this year started on the 24th of February when I discovered that I couldn't move without being in terrific pain and ended up going down to Seattle for back surgery (I'm doing much, much better, thank you!) and a long recuperation.  

As October begins and the year is almost over, I'm grateful to say that this icon is finally underway.  This afternoon I finished applying the red ochre trace lines and shadows on each of the figures and backgrounds.  

If you are interested, please  join me as I post from time to time on this new project. 

Laetare Weekend

Yesterday, with Laetare Sunday (aka the Fourth Sunday of Lent, aka the Sunday of the Man Born Blind), we reached the half-way point between the beginning of the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday, and the conclusion of Lent on Holy Thursday, when the Paschal Triduum begins.
'Laetare', from the first word of Latin text of the Entrance Antiphon for that Sunday, which means 'rejoice'.

Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and all who love her: 

Be joyful, all who were in mourning.  

I'm still missing my Dad (it was two months on Friday since his death).  But within the narrow confines of the New Jerusalem Workshop, while not exactly feeling joyful, I'm ready to rejoice a little. Why? Because this weekend I'm about half-way done with the icon of St. Anne, Mary the Mother of God and Jesus that I began on March 4th.

 Which is to say, I've finished the garments, the gilding, gold assist and the highlighting of the roundel that symbolizes the heavens (and the Virgin's womb which contained the One through whom the cosmos was made.)  Still more wretched faulting of the gold to finish.  But being back in the studio, even feeling as sad as I find myself most days, and getting things done, is such a grace and a blessing.  To God be the glory!

Now on to the faces.




 

Deliver me, O Jesus

Deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being loved.

From the desire of being extolled.

From the desire of being honored,

From the desire of being praised,

from the desire of being consulted,

from the desire of being approved,

from the desire of being popular,

from the fear of being humiliated,

from the fear of being despised,

from the fear of being rebuked,

from the fear of being calumniated,

from the fear of being wronged,

from the fear of being ridiculed,

from the fear of being suspected.

Amen      -- Mother Teresa of Kolkota

This prayer of Mother Teresa seemed a good way to begin the season of Lent. 

My last post was back at the beginning of January.  I've been away and too occupied with my Dad's final illness and death on January 24th and then with everything involved in commending him to God and burying him.  Since then I've been preoccupied with making sense of life without him to be able to write or post much of everything.  

It will have been 40 days since his death on the 4th of March, so I'm ready (sort of) to enter back into things a bit more.  Although I'm pretty off of Facebook for Lent, I will post on this blog from time to time and post it to Facebook as well.  

Thoughts and comments you wish to share on this blog or Facebook are always most welcome and I will be reading them. 

Deacon Charles