Mary's Garden (color, continued)

More progress in laying in color on the icon for Mary's Garden at our house. The first step in actually painting the icon is to apply transparent layers of color to the entire icon to build up the deepest values. Then the garments, faces, hands and feet of the figures of Jesus and Mary are highlighted.

The highlighting either using color mixed with white or yellow ochre or gold leaf, signifies the transfiguring light of grace most perfectly and completely revealed in Christ. This grace, represented as light, fills not only Mary, the saints and those who are baptized into the saving death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus, but the creation and the entire cosmos.

If you look carefully at the icon you may be able to see the pale blue forget-me-nots that are beginning to take shape behind the throne of Mary. Its a joy to see how the flowers in Mary's Garden are beginning to emerge too (the violet-blue hyacinths are starting to open up in front of the daffodils).