1/4/2024 0 Comments Iconographer“It feels like we have always been here”, she says. ![]() ![]() So, she studied Byzantine murals and icons, a life journey that culminated in her return to her Mykonos roots, eight years ago. Locals have embraced my art, and I have Mykonos to thank for that.ĭespite an aptitude for painting, she had not found her calling until a difficult period, when she “woke up and said, I want to paint icons. Hailing from Mykonos on her mother’s side, Melina recalls happy childhood visits – “The smell of the land on our way from the port to Ano Mera. “An icon is not just a representation it’s in my soul”. This technique goes back millennia and is part of what Melina Patakiouta calls her “ritual” to start painting on crude, heavy wood. Using the traditional medium of tempera, Melina gathers eggs from the coop to mix with mineral pigments using “her babies” – her brushes – and paint Orthodox icons. The smell of egg at her workshop is unmistakable. 6, 1983.Driven and filled with youthful energy, this young woman is a source of inspiration. What do you hope others get when viewing your work? In the end, it is using one’s God given talent to, in turn, glorify God and hopefully touch the viewer. Prayer and fasting go hand in hand with paint mixing and gilding. Iconography is as much a spiritual practice as it is an art form. Why do you find passion in creating iconography? Knowing that these candles will be not only lit during the Easter Season but also at every baptism and funeral is incredibly humbling. To create a design with appropriate religious meaning that will look beautiful on a 4- (to) 5-foot tall, 11-inch diameter cylinder is as difficult as it is fun. What is the most difficult aspect of each piece you do, or does it depend on what you are doing?īesides keeping the studio cat from drinking my rinse water, the most challenging aspect is creating a design for the Paschal (Easter) candles I paint for several Front Range parishes. This method of doing art was beautiful, contemplative and prayerful and it called to me. I ended up attending this intense and grueling six-day workshop at St. I had no idea how to proceed! Two days later, I was listening to a talk show on Catholic radio and the subject was an upcoming icon workshop to be held in Denver. I was familiar with Byzantine icons but had never considered delving into the subject. One day, about 12 years ago, I saw a catalog of mass-produced icons and a strong desire to learn this art form overtook me. What were your first steps into the world of iconography? It was like being on an extended retreat. ![]() I wrote a large Hesychia for my own space during (COVID-19) lockdown. It is taught that every icon studio should display this icon. The other icon I hold dear is known as “Holy Angel Hesychia” or the Angel of Contemplation. Anyone can respond to this loving intimate scene no matter what beliefs they hold. The icon I’ve written at least six times is known as “Our Lady of Tenderness.” It depicts a very human scene of an adoring mother cradling her baby while the child grasps his mother’s mantle. I have many favorites, but I’ll share (my) top two. So far, do you have a favorite iconography piece you have created? The “Holy Angel Hesychia” written by Barbara Heller. “I am one of those lucky people who gets to do what I love,” she said.
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