Cow Icon Painting

An Icon is an image used for the purpose of veneration such as the Russian Orthodox Icons of Jesus Christ the Virgin Mary or the Saints. These Icons usually incorporate gold leaf signifying the importance of the subject who is someone saintly, famous or revered. Here the subject is the common Holstein Cow seen on many Mid West dairy farms. My “Everyday Icon” paintings are images of people or animals living or dead, contemporary or historic whom I wish to venerate on a more personal level. No less an Icon for their familiarity, the mixed media paintings incorporate metal leaf, beeswax, plaster and oil to create a portrait, which celebrates the sacredness in all of us.