Know What Is In Front Of Your Face Byzantine Iconography Blog

"Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed." -- Gospel of Thomas
What does this have to do with me? you say. Everything. On many levels. When it comes to your painting, you must consider the microcosm as expressive of the macrocosm. That is to say, if the little strokes are poor, and there are small mistakes everywhere, the overall appearance of the icon will not camouflage those errors. To the contrary. Your icon will look wrong. Or feel wrong. Mine did. It was only when I began to work more slowly, more meticulously, that everything began to make sense. When I would leave and return to the icon over and over again with fresh eyes that I began to see -- what was in front of my face -- that what was hidden from me began to be disclosed, and I began to make some progress. And I began to realize how far I had to go. The good part is that each icon teaches me a different lesson, something I need to learn. I don't know how that happens. The hand of God, perhaps is erasing the errors in me, and showing me the way to go. I'd like to think so. Small miracles. Thank you God.