Icon of Saint Stephen, Archdeacon and First Martyr Painting

This icon was painted on a board which I brought from Mount Athos (Agion Oros). It is pretty old, so it had to go through the process of fixation and conservation. I decided not to follow usual way of preparation, so that the medium itself could contribute to the atmosphere in which it was created and in which it lasted. The figure and the character of Saint Stephen are painted according to both Sinai and Athonite ascetic tradition. In my work on this icon I wanted to use the previous experience I acquired in the significant icon painting workshops on Mount Athos so that the minimal amounts of guilding and semi-precious stone Lapis Lazuli pigment could refine the old wood patina as simple ground for the sacred character of the First Martyr and Archdeacon, the humble evangelist of the uncreated Divine Light of the Saviour Christ.