Recently completed for a local parish, this Annunciation piece is not in a traditional iconographic style, but is actually a combination of several. There are elements from icons, as in some of the white robes, some Gothic elements, in the background at the top, and even some pre-Raphaelite influences with the decorative nature of the cloth, carpet, and the style of the faces. I was not sure if this was going to work, but the feedback I have gotten so far is positive.
I’ve been working on this for several months, and I think it’s done now. It’s based upon an image of a painting done by Georg Cornicelius in 1888. Apparently the original was lost and another version turned up, without the original components, and many folks like the later version more. Here’s the version that I created using some iconographic elements, and under that are the versions by Cornicelius.
Georg Cornicelius 1825-1898 Germany. Image of the Temptation of Christ. Satan offered to make him ruler of the kingdoms of the world if Christ would worship him.
I’ve started making smaller studies as not everyone wants something 5 feet tall – here is one in progress based on the Madonna done for the Berryville Trappist Monastery.
18 by 24 inches, egg tempera, gold, oils.
I started this actually months ago – finally finished as well. Egg tempera, gold, and oil on panel. 17 by 14 inches.
I’m finished with this as well – here is the top part. This is based on a Medieval Italian icon – it’s egg tempera, oil, 24K gold.
Sorry I haven’t posted anything for a while – been super busy at work. But I did want to post an image of something I’ve started working on that’s more in a 17th Century sort of style.
I’ve started on another large panel – here are some images of the initial stages. The gold is done, the initial roskrysh done, now I’m working on the first lights.
I’m working on a hanging for a parish in Charlottesville – here are some in progress pictures, and I’ll post more as it gets more detail. It’s 6 by 10 feet, oil on Canvas.
I’ve reordered the photos to put the most recent work first. I’ve been working on the face, hair, and hands.
May 1 – Over the past week I have been focusing completely on the face. As far as I am concerned, if the face is not right, then it doesn’t matter how good or bad the rest of it is. So, what I do is spend a lot of time just staring…and then I decide how I want to change the expression so it conveys what I want. In this case, I decided the eyes were too wide, and the mouth was not gentle enough, and the eyebrows were not sufficiently questioning. I am looking for an expression that is inviting, not scary, but still full of mystery, as well as challenging.
I’ve been adding lines and lettering, working some more on the face. It’s getting close to done.
It’s pretty close to done now. I switched over to oils a bit ago.
Here’s a couple of images of the fabric area I’ve been working on in Gabriel’s Robe. All with Egg Tempera still.
The Holy Face 