Everyday Icons -

Anyone who knows my recent paintings, knows that I have dedicated myself to bringing an ancient form of art back into everyday life. While I started with classic Icons, my purpose is to make a very wonderful art form into something that is a living, joyful modern experience. When we were in Venice last year, I was very taken with the presence of Icons in every corner-literally. While here in the United States we tend to think of Icons as beautiful but slightly quaint reminders of zealous Church oversight, what came across to me last year was the presence of shrines everywhere. Most major public buildings had a corner dedicated to some Saint, and every courtyard, alleyway and Piazza was incomplete without some form of architecture protecting a painting or or occasionally a statue placed to give comfort or resolve.

These shrines came in all shapes and sizes, the most common were built into the sides of buildings like windows, with the Icon itself behind a grille or glass, and generally they had shutters to protect them against the wind-driven rains off the Adriatic that are common in the winter months. The saints stare out, and like their counterparts lining the insides of the hundreds of churches and cathedrals they have a cold deportment that has softened with the aging of the paint. The eyes always stare straight into yours, and for all the stiffness of the subject, the suffering of the martyr, the despair of the onlookers at their feet, the saint's gaze pierces your heart with a look that gives you a reason to stop. Even a non-believed would have to admit that the expression in those eyes. like a those of a loving mother, gives strength to go forward.

What I found intriguing too, was the fact that these little offerings are very much alive. They are a piece of everyday life there, and commonly have fresh flowers or small tokens left behind. Of course during the day hours most of the people on the streets are tourists just as Mary and I were, but it really is not hard to imagine locals visiting these spots in the morning before the tour boats arrive.

This is my inspiration. Not necessarily to re-create these devotional spots in my artwork, but rather to capture the essence of a dedication to art in an everyday enviornment. Art in this enviornment is alive, even if centuries old. It lives and lurks around every corner. It is not just hidden away in a dusty alcove or hung on a wall above a sofa. It breathes. It is a part of everything we do. When we forget that we become sterile and useless.