christianity – American Association of Iconographers

The Bride With the Ring on Her Finger

Saint Catherine of Alexandria and the Power of the Sacred Image

Feast Day · November 25 · Virgin & Martyr Patron of Philosophers · Scholars · Clergy · Young Women

Dear Fellow Iconographers — I’ve been deep in research for a commission of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and I find myself compelled to share what I’ve discovered. The story of this saint has at its very heart a small panel painting of the Virgin and Child that changes a woman’s eternal life.

The hard facts about Catherine’s biography are almost nonexistent. Scholars are fairly confident she was not a historical figure at all. And yet — precisely because her legend was free from the weight of documented biography — her story became a vessel that could carry some of the most luminous theology of the late Middle Ages. She became immensely beloved. The absence of fact left ample room for spiritual truth that is significant to us all.

The Impossible Suitor

According to legend, Catherine was the daughter of King Kostos of Alexandria — beautiful, fiercely intelligent, and devoted to philosophy above all else. When her family pressed her to marry, she agreed on one condition she knew no earthly man could meet: her husband must equal her in nobility, wisdom, beauty, and wealth. Faced with this impossible standard, her mother consulted a hermit who lived beyond the city walls. He said he knew of a suitable candidate who exceeded even Catherine’s requirements in every way — and to introduce her to this suitor, he gave her a panel painting of the Virgin and Child. He told her to take it home, and that evening, alone, to pray before it and ask the Virgin to show her her Son.

The Icon That Opened a Vision

That evening, Catherine knelt before the icon and prayed. She fell asleep, and the Virgin appeared — but the Christ Child kept His face turned away. No matter how Catherine moved around the vision, He would not look at her. She overheard the Virgin asking her Son whether Catherine pleased Him by her beauty, her wisdom, her birth, her wealth. Each time, the Child answered that Catherine was exactly the opposite of what the Virgin described. He told her: return to the hermit, follow his teaching, and come back the following evening.

St. Catherine and the Hermit, Andrea Di Bartoli

The next morning Catherine went to the hermit, received instruction in the Christian faith, and was baptized. That night, when she knelt again before the image, the Madonna appeared immediately. This time the Child looked directly at Catherine — and His gaze was so radiant that she fell to the ground as though dead. The Virgin raised her up. The Son declared that now Catherine was truly beautiful, wise, noble, and wealthy, and that He was ready to take her as His perpetual spouse. The Virgin took Catherine’s hand, and Christ placed His ring upon her finger.

When Catherine came to herself, the ring was still there.

Anonymous (German). ‘Scenes from the Life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,’ ca. 1430-1450. oil on wood. Walters Art Museum (37.2638): Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer Brandt, 1988.

Note for iconographers: The panel painting in this legend is not decoration — it is the instrument of encounter. The image acts as the necessary intermediary between earthly and transcendent reality. And the vision it opens is not merely interior: it involves the body. Catherine finds the ring on her finger. This is precisely the theology we invoke every time we pick up a brush.

The Soul as Bride of Christ

Theologians of the late thirteenth century shaped this legend deliberately. Catherine becomes a type of the contemplative soul — any soul, not only a nun’s — that withdraws from the distractions of the world to be wholly the bride of Christ. She is a model for women who wish to live a deeply religious life while remaining in secular surroundings. Her story says: the sacred marriage is available to you. The icon on your wall can be the beginning of it.

“My beloved is mine, and I am his.” — Song of Songs 2:16

The Wheel, the Sword, and the Milk

The rest of the legend unfolds with the fierce beauty characteristic of the great martyrs. The Emperor Maxentius ordered fifty philosophers to argue her out of her faith — all fifty were instead converted by her, and burned. He threw her in prison; a dove fed her daily from heaven; Christ Himself visited her cell and promised her a crown of glory. When she refused to marry him, declaring her spouse was already Jesus Christ, he condemned her to the spiked breaking wheel. At her touch, it shattered. She was beheaded. From her neck flowed milk, not blood.

In the sixth century, the Emperor Justinian established what is now Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt, built around the site of the burning bush of Moses. It has been a place of pilgrimage and miraculous healing for fifteen centuries.

Why She Matters to Us

We paint icons because we believe what the Catherine legend enacts: that the sacred image is not illustration but threshold. It is a place where the invisible agrees to become visible, where the transcendent condescends to the material, where a woman can fall asleep before a small panel painting and wake with a ring on her finger.

Master of the Misericordia, St. Catherine oA alexandria

Among the fourteen most helpful saints, Catherine stands as patron of those who love wisdom. In our work, she reminds us that the image we are writing participates in a story far older and stranger than we can fully see. We are not simply illustrating theology. We are making a threshold.

Researched for a commission of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Saint Catherine’s feast day is November 25.

Thanks so much for reading! Here are my other websites if you’d like to see some of my work!

Have a blessed June!

Christine

LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2026

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983
American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

“Make Me An Instrument Of Your Peace”

Painting Saint Francis: A Contemplative Reflection

Dear Friends,

As I begin work on an icon of Saint Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio for my upcoming class at Holy Cross Monastery, I find myself reflecting less on the historical details of Francis’s life and more on the spiritual movement within it—the slow transformation of a human heart toward God.

Prayer Attributed to Saint Francis, Image of Saint Francis by Cimabue

Icons often teach us long before they are finished. While preparing the board, laying the ground, and beginning the first lines of the drawing, I realize that Saint Francis’s life itself unfolds like an icon written in stages.

Francis did not begin as a saint. He began as many of us do—comfortable, admired, and confident in worldly success. Yet illness, disappointment, and prayer opened a space within him where God could speak. His conversion was not sudden perfection but a gradual awakening.

St. Francis Icon Hales

Again and again, Francis encountered Christ in unexpected places: in solitude, in poverty, in the suffering face of the leper, and finally before the crucifix at San Damiano. When he heard the words, “Repair my house,” he responded with simplicity. He did not yet understand their full meaning; he simply acted in faith.

This is deeply iconographic.

When we begin an icon, we do not see the finished image clearly. We proceed step by step—layer upon layer—trusting that illumination will come through obedience to the process. Francis lived in this same spirit of obedience. By renouncing wealth and security, he allowed his life to become transparent to divine light.

Francis teaches us that holiness is not escape from the world but reconciliation with it. Seeing all creation as brother and sister, he recognized the presence of God shining through every living thing. Peace with nature flowed from peace with God.

St. Francis and thee Wolf — St. Francis and the Wolf by Christine Hales

The story of the Wolf of Gubbio expresses this beautifully. Francis did not conquer the wolf; he restored relationship. Violence ceased when fear gave way to compassion. The icon reminds us that peace begins in the conversion of the human heart.

As iconographers—and as Christians—we are invited into the same work. We repair the house of God first within ourselves. Through prayer, humility, and attention, the hard surfaces of the heart are gradually burnished until they reflect Christ’s light.

While painting Saint Francis, I am reminded that the icon is not only an image of a saint. It is also a question addressed to each of us:

St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata by Giotto — St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, by Giotto

Where is God asking me to bring peace?
What must I release in order to follow Christ more freely?
How might my own life become a window into divine love?

May Saint Francis intercede for us, teaching us to walk gently, to live simply, and to recognize all creation as a sacred gift.

With gratitude and peace,

Christine Simoneau Hales, Iconographer

LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2026

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983
American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

Giotto and the Living Tradition of Icons

Reflections for Iconographers

When I finally have time to pray and reflect on the direction my iconography is leading me, I often discover that artistic questions are also spiritual questions. Recently, my thoughts have returned again and again to Giotto, the great Italian painter of the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

If I listen carefully to that still, small voice guiding my work, I sense an invitation to understand Giotto more deeply — not only visually, but spiritually. His art seems to stand at a threshold: faithful to the sacred language of icons while opening new ways for humanity and incarnation to be seen in Christian art.

I share these reflections in the hope that they may inspire you — whether through Giotto himself or through whatever artistic path God is unfolding within your own practice.

The Artistic World Giotto Inherited

Giotto did not emerge in isolation. The world into which he was born brought together four powerful artistic traditions:

Byzantine Art arrived from the Christian East. Its forms were austere, hierarchical, and spiritually focused. Figures appeared frontal, solemn, and often flattened against gold backgrounds, emphasizing transcendence over earthly realism. The icon was never merely decorative — it was theological vision made visible.

Romanesque Art blended classical Roman inheritance with native European expression. Geometry, symbolic animals, and decorative motifs dominated, reinforcing sacred order rather than individual psychology.

Gothic Art began introducing greater emotional expression and observation of the natural world. Figures gained movement, narrative clarity, and human presence.

Classical Influence quietly persisted beneath all these styles, preserving an awareness of volume, structure, and bodily presence inherited from antiquity.

Giotto stood precisely at the convergence of these traditions.

St. Francis Altar Piece, Bonaventura Berlinghieri 1235

From Icons to Narrative Devotion

By the late 12th century, Italian religious art was already evolving. Devotional imagery moved through a clear progression:

monumental crucifixes,
Marian icons,
and eventually painted panels narrating the lives of saints.

These panels, commissioned for churches, chapels, and altars, often included narrative side scenes recounting a saint’s life in vivid detail. They functioned much like extended icons — inviting contemplation through story as well as presence.

Here we begin to see the seeds of Giotto’s transformation.

Giotto’s Breakthrough

Early masters such as Pietro Cavallini were already experimenting with greater naturalism when Giotto arrived in Rome. Yet Giotto accomplished something profoundly new.

He carried forward the theological seriousness of Byzantine iconography while reintroducing human weight, emotion, and spatial reality.

His greatest works moved beyond panel icons into large narrative fresco cycles. Figures became monumental and grounded. Saints occupied believable space. Gestures conveyed relationship and interior life.

Giotto did not abandon the sacred purpose of images — he deepened it.

Where the icon proclaims eternity breaking into time, Giotto allowed viewers to experience salvation history unfolding within human experience itself.

The Circle Around Giotto

Giotto’s influence quickly shaped the next generation.

Bernardo Daddi, a younger contemporary, absorbed Giotto’s solidity of form while retaining the refined decorative elegance associated with the Siennese school.

Meanwhile, Duccio of Siena brought Byzantine inheritance into a lyrical and expressive direction. His rhythmic lines and luminous colors communicate joy and hope within sacred narratives. Though deeply indebted to icon tradition, Duccio expanded emotional storytelling within devotional painting.

Together, these artists demonstrate that tradition is never static. The iconographic vision was not abandoned; it was translated for new spiritual needs.

Technique, Craft, and the Artist’s Life

The technical continuity of this period is preserved in the remarkable treatise by Cennino Cennini, The Craftsman’s Handbook. Written in the early 15th century and deeply influenced by Giotto’s legacy, the text reveals the working life of medieval painters.

Cennini describes everything from preparing pigments and panels to fresco technique and gilding. What emerges is not merely instruction but a worldview: the artist as disciplined craftsman serving sacred purpose.

For iconographers today, this continuity is striking. Many of us still grind pigments, prepare panels, and apply gold in ways recognizable to these early masters. The physical practice itself becomes prayer.

Giotto and the Iconographer Today

Why does Giotto matter to iconographers?

Because he reminds us that fidelity to tradition does not mean immobility.

Icons reveal the transfigured world — humanity illuminated by divine light. Giotto’s achievement was to show that the Incarnation also sanctifies human emotion, gesture, and lived experience.

He stands not as a rejection of iconography but as one of its great interpreters.

For those of us writing icons today, his work asks an important question:

How do we remain faithful to the theological vision of the icon while speaking meaningfully to the spiritual eyes of our own time?

A Personal Reflection

As I continue my own journey in iconography, I find myself increasingly grateful for artists like Giotto who listened deeply to both tradition and inspiration. Their courage encourages us to remain attentive to where the Holy Spirit may be guiding our work.

Perhaps your inspiration will not come from Giotto. Perhaps it will arise from a saint, a text, a teacher, or a quiet discovery in your studio.

But when that inspiration arrives, it is worth following.

Sacred art has always grown this way — through prayer, attention, and faithful response.

And in that sense, the icon tradition is not behind us.

It is still unfolding.

Blessings and prayers,

Christine Hales

Sources: “The World of Giotto”, C. 1267-1337, Time-Life Books, Sarel Eimerl

My Internet links: LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2026

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

https://newchristianicions.com my main website

Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons

https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en

American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

The Living Icon

Greetings Friends and Fellow Iconographers:

I am spending more time re-reading some of my icon related books and want to share with you this months some of the insights I found in : “The Avant-Garde Icon, Russian Avant Gard Art & The Icon Painting Tradition” by Andrew Spira. I really like the clarity of thought here about what is important to carry forward in our contemporary icons. I hope you enjoy it!

At the heart of the icon lies a radical claim: the presence of an Absolute in the world. This is the underlying principle that distinguishes the icon from all other forms of religious art. The definitive characteristic of the icon is not stylistic consistency or historical fidelity, but its metaphysical identity. An icon does not simply depict holiness—it participates in it.

For iconographers today, this distinction is crucial. The challenge is not merely to preserve a tradition, but to remain in living relationship with it. The struggle to create an art form capable of communicating the mystery of the incarnate God has shaped icon painting from its earliest beginnings. Because God became flesh, matter itself became capable of bearing divine presence. Icon painting is therefore an innately sacred art, one that originates in—and continues through—the reality of the Incarnation.

Icons as Encounter with God

A sixth-century tradition tells us that the first icon was of the Madonna and Child, painted from life by the Apostle Luke. Whether taken literally or symbolically, this story reveals something essential about the nature of iconography: icons arise from encounter, not abstraction. They are born from witness, prayer, and lived experience rather than from theory alone.

Icons are replete with symbolic meaning, but their power lies in more than symbolism. Their narrative and didactic conventions—long associated with the transmission of Truth—operate on both conscious and subliminal levels. For the iconographer, fidelity to these conventions is not a matter of imitation for its own sake, but an act of participation in a sacramental language. Adherence to both the symbolic and sacramental significance of the icon is essential to its true identity.

The iconographic tradition reached one of its highest expressions in the work of the Russian monk Andrei Rublev (c. 1370–1430). His Old Testament Trinity became a defining image of Orthodox theology precisely because it does not explain the Trinity—it reveals it. Drawing on Genesis 18, Rublev’s use of three angels to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit allows the viewer to encounter the unity of the Godhead through contemplation rather than analysis. The icon silently discloses divine mystery to the inner eye and the receptive heart.

Yet even living traditions can lose their interior vitality. In sixteenth-century Russia, efforts to preserve iconography led to the Hundred Chapters Council (Stoglav) of 1551. Iconographic manuals were introduced to formalize and regulate canonical forms. While this development was consistent with long-standing practices of copying prototypes, it also signaled a deeper shift. The contemplative spirit that had sustained the tradition from within no longer prevailed with the same force.

Dangers of Losing the Contemplative Spirit

A subtle transformation followed. Icon painters continued to reproduce established models, but increasingly focused on external form rather than inward engagement. Copying, once a sacramental act rooted in prayer and insight, risked becoming an exercise in technical replication. The icon was still produced correctly, yet no longer always created from within the living current of the tradition.

This historical moment speaks directly to contemporary iconographers. In our own time, the desire to create an art that is both accessible and faithful often leads us back to Byzantine models. But the question remains: are we copying in order to conform, or copying in order to participate?

Myself working on the Confession of Saint Peter Icon

Exploring the potential of icons within the modern world requires more than technical mastery or historical accuracy. It calls for a renewed commitment to the transcendental nature of the icon itself. For the iconographer today, tradition is not a fixed archive but a living inheritance—one that demands not only discipline of hand, but attention of heart.

A Closing Reflection for the Contemporary Iconographer

For those of us working within the iconographic tradition today, the essential question is not whether we are faithful to the models we inherit, but how we are faithful to them. Technique, historical knowledge, and canonical accuracy matter deeply—but they are not sufficient on their own. Without interior attentiveness, they risk becoming ends rather than means.

Importance of Prayer and Humility

The tradition reminds us that copying was never intended to be a mechanical act. It was, and remains, a sacramental discipline: a way of submitting the self to a form that reveals more than it contains. When approached with prayer, humility, and discernment, the act of copying becomes a participation in the same contemplative vision that gave rise to the prototype in the first place.

In a contemporary context—where icons are often encountered as cultural artifacts, aesthetic objects, or commodities—the iconographer is quietly entrusted with a different responsibility. Our task is not to innovate for novelty’s sake, nor to preserve forms as relics of the past, but to allow the icon to remain what it has always been: a place of encounter between the visible and the invisible.

My Baptism of Jesus Icon at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Saint Petersburg

The enduring challenge, then, is this: to work with discipline without rigidity, tradition without nostalgia, and creativity without self-assertion. When the iconographer remains attentive to the spiritual source of the tradition, the icon continues to speak—not as an echo of history, but as a living witness to the incarnate God in the present moment.

Please share your thoughts or ideas for future posts! Many thanks for following and you are all in my prayers, for God’s blessings to go before you as you work on His icons.

Blessings,

Christine

My Links: https://newchristianicions.com my main website

Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons

https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en

American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

The Substance of Things Seen: Creating Contemporary Icons for the Christian Community

Inspired by Robin M. Jensen

Detail, Trinity Icon. written by Christine Hales. after Andre Rublev

Christian art has never existed merely to decorate sacred spaces or to please the eye. At its best, it has served the Church as a theological language—one that gives visible form to invisible truths and nurtures worship practices that are both spiritually vital and theologically rooted. In The Substance of Things Seen, Robin M. Jensen articulates with clarity the indispensable role of art in Christian theology, worship, and communal life. Her insights are particularly relevant today as artists and iconographers seek to create contemporary icons that speak faithfully within modern contexts while remaining rooted in tradition.

Art as a Theological Practice

Christian art, and iconography in particular, occupies a unique place within the life of faith. Icons do not simply illustrate doctrine; they participate in it. They promote an ongoing conversation between faith and art—one in which visual form, prayer, and theology are inseparably linked. As Jensen reminds us, art within the Christian tradition is not neutral. It shapes belief, informs devotion, and forms the imagination of the worshiping community.

Yet this formative power carries responsibility. “If we remember that imitations are secondary things,” Jensen writes, “meant to guide us or inspire us toward the truth but not to substitute for it, we may avoid confusing objects with values or beautiful things with beauty itself.” The icon, then, is not an end in itself. It is a means—an invitation toward encounter rather than a replacement for the divine reality it signifies.

Icon Writing as Spiritual Formation

Within this framework, contemporary icon writing can be understood not simply as an artistic discipline but as a process of spiritual formation. Icon writing classes, when properly grounded, are aimed at producing visible images that point far beyond themselves. Creation and formation unfold together. The artist is shaped even as the image takes form.

This understanding resonates deeply with the Christian conviction expressed in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We see not the truth itself, but are being transformed as we behold.” The thing we see is not the truth itself, but a means of encounter with the truth. In icon writing, the slow, prayerful process—layer upon layer of pigment, prayer, and contemplation—mirrors the gradual transformation of the human heart.

Seeing, Meaning, and Community

Jensen also reminds us that the perceived meaning of any work of art depends upon the experience, social location, interests, needs, and predispositions of its audience. Icons are not viewed in a vacuum. They exist within communities, cultures, and lived realities. Contemporary iconography must therefore attend carefully to context—not by abandoning tradition, but by allowing tradition to speak into the present moment with discernment and humility.

My Saint James Icon being blessed by Bishop Carlos in Santiago Spain

The icon does not record a particular physical appearance so much as it gathers and focuses prayer. It helps the viewer sense the invisible presence of the one to whom prayer is addressed. In this sacred exchange, the viewer does not merely look at the image but is invited to look through it. The icon serves as a medium of prayer directed toward a reality beyond the painted surface.

Holy Places and Sacred Spaces

My Nativity Icon at Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota, FL

This sacramental understanding of images naturally extends to architecture and sacred space. A holy place is traditionally understood as a meeting point between heaven and earth—a site where the divine presence has manifested, a gateway between the visible and the invisible. In this sense, all architecture functions iconically, and religious architecture does so in a particularly concentrated way.

Like painted icons, sacred spaces manifest ideas in nonverbal form, functioning symbolically at both the most mundane and the most profound levels. Depending on how it is viewed and used, a religious space may mediate or even “contain” holy presence in much the same way as a traditional icon painted on a wooden panel.

Toward a Faithful Contemporary Practice

Creating contemporary icons, then, is not about innovation for its own sake. It is about faithfulness—faithfulness to theological truth, to liturgical life, and to the formative power of sacred art within Christian community. Drawing on the wisdom articulated by Jensen, contemporary iconographers are invited to see their work not merely as aesthetic production, but as participation in the Church’s ongoing act of seeing, praying, and becoming.

In this way, the substance of things seen becomes a pathway toward the mystery of things unseen—and the icon remains what it has always been at its best: a window into divine presence, held in humility, reverence, and prayer.

Wishing you all a blessed and joyous New Year!

Christine Hales

https://newchristianicons.com

Interesting Links for Iconographers:

Religious symbolism- Explained by Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/religious-symbolism History and symbolism of Iconography

History and symbolism of Iconography – Monastery Icons

Introduction to Icons: Patristix

Sacred Spaces: Richard Vosko, God’s House is Our House, Reimagining the Environment for Worship, Liturgical Press; and also by Richard Vosko. Art and Architecture for Congregational Worship: The Search for a Common Ground.

Discover the Spiritual Depth of Icons and Saints

Two Books That Open the Heart Through Icons and the Saints

John the Baptist Icon. written by Christine Hales

In the world of Christian spirituality, a beautiful mystery unfolds whenever art and prayer meet. Two icon related books—The Dwelling of the Light: Praying With Icons of Christ by Dr. Rowan Williams, and The Song of Saints: Celebrating the Saints with Anglican Prayer Beads by Catherine Gotschall—offer readers rich opportunities to encounter that mystery with depth and devotion. Though very different in scope, each invites us to slow down, to look more deeply, and to let the Holy Spirit reshape how we see God, the world, and ourselves.

Seeing Christ Anew: Rowan Williams on Praying With Icons

When The Dwelling of the Light was first published in 2003, Dr. Rowan Williams had just begun his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury. Already a respected theologian and scholar, Williams offered the world a slim but luminous volume on praying with icons of Christ. It remains one of his most beloved spiritual works.

Madonna and Child. Written by Christine Hales

At the heart of the book lies a profound reverence for icons—not as decorative artifacts, but as encounters with divine presence. Williams writes:

“In their presence you become aware that you are present to God and that God is working on you by his grace, as he does in the lives and words of holy people.”

Using four deeply significant icons—The Transfiguration, The Resurrection, The Hospitality of Abraham, and Christ Pantocrator—he guides the reader into a prayerful way of seeing. Icons, he suggests, are not depictions of a moment frozen in history; they reveal a life “radiating the light and force of God.”

Resurrection Icon. written by Christine Hales

In Williams’ hands, each icon becomes not only an image but a doorway: a way for Christ’s transfiguring presence to shape our own vision of the world. The book is small enough to read in an afternoon but expansive enough to ponder for years.

I have always appreciated Dr. Williams’ viewpoint on icons and sacramentals in the Anglican Church. Sometimes on my lunch break I like to pick up one of his books for some quick inspiration!

Williams wrote a companion volume a year earlier—Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin (Canterbury Press, 2002)—which offers a similar depth of prayer through icons of Mary.

Praying With the Cloud of Witnesses: Catherine Gotschall’s The Song of Saints

While Williams leads us to contemplate the face of Christ, Catherine Gotschall invites us to pray with the saints themselves. A lifelong Episcopalian, Gotschall has created an extraordinary resource in The Song of Saints: Celebrating the Saints with Anglican Prayer Beads.

I met Catherine at the Episcopal Convention of South West Florida several weeks ago and want to share this interesting book with you all since first class books on the lives of the saints are hard to come by!

Her book presents the lives of more than fifty saints from across the centuries—men and women whose faithful witness continues to echo through Christian history. Arranged within the six cycles of the liturgical year, the saints span the 1st to the 20th century and represent Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.

But what makes the book truly distinctive is its prayer practice. For each saint, Gotschall offers:

A brief biography
Prayers drawn from the saint’s own writings—letters, sermons, and vitae
A way of praying these words with Anglican prayer beads

She describes a saint as:

“someone who has led a sacramental life… an outward and visible sign of deep and abiding inner spiritual grace.”

St, Francis and the Wolf of Lubbio written by Christine Hales

This is more than a book of history or devotional snippets—it is a tool for moving devotion “from head to heart.” Through the rhythm of the beads and the wisdom of the saints, readers are invited into a lived experience of prayer that feels both ancient and deeply personal.

Link to Purchase Book on Amazon

St. John Theologian Icon by Christine Hales

Art, Prayer, and the Ever-Living Presence of God

Together, these two books remind us of something essential: authentic Christian prayer is not an escape from the world but a way of seeing it more truthfully. Icons illuminate the radiant presence of Christ at the center of all things. The saints show us what life looks like when that presence is welcomed, trusted, and lived boldly across centuries and cultures.

Whether you are drawn to the serene gaze of Christ Pantocrator or to the stirring witness of those who followed him, these works offer gentle, profound companions for the spiritual journey.

They invite us—quietly but insistently—to ponder, to pray, and to be transformed.

Until next month, be blessed and be a blessing! And don’t forget, if you write an informative article about your icons or icon related information, please email me with your ideas and proposals. It would be wonderful to have articles written by more of you!

Love and prayers,

Christine Hales

Recent Posts on Saints; Stories of Saints and Icons and

All Saints Day.

My Next in- Person Icon Writing Retreats for 2026

LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2025

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

Contact Christine: chales@halesart.com

Illuminating the Spirit: A Summer Reading Guide for Iconographers

Books and Inspiration to Enrich Your Icon Writing Practice

Summer unfurls like a painted scroll—light streaming through open windows, quiet hours stretching across the day, and, for the iconographer, a rare invitation to rest, reflect, and replenish the wellspring of inspiration. Whether you are a seasoned writer of icons, a beginner who has just dipped their brush into the egg tempera, or simply a lover of sacred art, the summer months offer an ideal time to step back from the demands of daily creation and immerse yourself in the wisdom, history, and spirituality that underpin the venerable and holy tradition of iconography.

Why Read in Summer? The Sacred Pause

In the stillness of summer, reading becomes a sacred pause—a time to deepen your understanding of icons not just as objects of devotion, but as living prayers in color and line. Iconographers often speak of their art as an act of contemplation: every stroke is a prayer, every layer a meditation. So too can reading be a contemplative act, enriching the mind and spirit while opening new vistas for creativity.

Foundational Texts: Revisiting the Roots

The Meaning of Icons by Leonid Ouspensky and Vladimir Lossky. This classic introduces the theological, spiritual, and artistic foundations of iconography. Through its pages, readers are led to understand the icon as a window to the divine, a theology in pigment, and a bridge between heaven and earth.
Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo. Tradigo’s compact yet richly illustrated guide offers both historical context and practical wisdom. Each page is a pilgrimage through time, introducing saints, feasts, and the symbolic language of orthodox sacred art.
Icons as Communion by George Kordis. Kordis brings the ancient tradition into the present, with notes and observations on the drawing stages in icon painting. Amazon Link
Orthodox Icon Patterns, Patterns and sketches for Iconographers: This is the revised version of Patterns & Sketches for Iconographers, with added content and additional patterns. A valuable resource for iconographers, this book contains a wide variety of patterns and sketches. Content including; icon patterns of the Nativity, the Theotokos, archangels, male and female saints, as well as halo patterns and 2 beautiful crucifixion crosses. Buildings and fabric/ background designs and icon borders. Each pattern is accompanied by color recommendations which are meant as a general guide allowing for adjustments due to differences in color names between pigments used with egg tempera and acrylic paints. (There is also a Volume II if you like this one.). Amazon Link

Summer Reads For Inspiration and Insight

Summer reading need not always be heavy with theory or thick with history. Sometimes, lighter fare—biographies, memoirs, and even novels—can kindle the imagination and nurture the soul of the artist. You might consider adding a few of these to your summer list:

Praying with Icons by Jim Forest. Accessible and warmly written, Forest’s reflections on the role of icons in prayer lift the heart and draw the reader into a deeper appreciation of how icons shape and are shaped by the life of faith.
The Mystical Language of Icons by Solrunn Ness. Nes explores in depth a number of famous icons, including those of the Greater Feasts, the Mother of God, and a number of the better-known saints, enriching her discussion with references to Scripture, early Christian writings, and liturgy. She also leads readers through the process and techniques of icon painting, showing each step with photographs, and includes more than fifty of her own original works of art. Amazon Link
And if you would enjoy a deep dive into the life of the Blessed Mother Mary, I recommend “The Life of the Blessed Virgin” from the visions of Ann Catherine Emmerich, Incredibly revealing and edifying background of Our Lady, her parents and ancestors, St. Joseph, plus other people who figured into the coming of Christ. also available on Amazon: Amazon Link
And also “True Devotion to Mary” by Louis de Montfort: Considered by many to be the greatest single book of Marian spirituality ever written, True Devotion to Mary is St Louis de Montfort’s classic statement on the spiritual way to Jesus Christ though the Blessed Virgin Mary. Amazon Link
And last, but not least, is my own book on Icon writing, “Eyes of Fire, How Icons Saved My Life As an Artist”, with an appendix full of directions as well as an explanation of how modern art has been influenced by icons and how some of those principles can be used in present day icon creation. Amazon Link

As the art historian Roger Lipsky says in his book, “An Art of Our Own, the Spiritual in Twentieth Century Art”, “One of the tasks of the spiritual in art is to prove again and again that vision is possible; that this world, thick and convincing, is neither the only world nor the highest, and that our ordinary awareness is neither the only awareness nor the highest of which we are capable.”

And so my purpose in sharing this list of inspirational summer reading is to encourage you to engage with the ‘pause” of the longer summer days, and ponder on the beauty of nature and be open to glimpses of eternity that a fresh perspective can often foster. And then let this “higher”perspective inform your icon practice in the coming year,. In the words of Aidan Hart, in his book, “Beauty, Spirit, Matter, Icons in the Modern World, “The Icon invites us to see the world as God sees it.” With nature all around of us. may God bless us with His perspective and insights to carry forward into our work.

Until next month,

Christine Simoneau Hales, Iconographer/artist

My Websites:

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983
American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

The Blessed Virgin:

A Life Anchored in Grace, Obedience, and the Miraculous

The Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by many to be the greatest of Christian saints, after her Son, she is exalted by divine grace above angels and men. holds a place of profound honor in Christian faith and tradition. Known as the Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, and spiritual guide to all believers, her life offers us a powerful model of obedience, grace, and unwavering faith in difficult times. Since today is the Feast of the Visitation- one of my favorite icons- I thought it would be good to share some random thoughts about Mary and her significance to our faith.

I’ve been reading a book about Mary, The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, as part of my spiritual discipline for May and want to share some of the insights in this month’s blog. Since I have previously written a blog about Mary (see the link below), I didn’t try to replicate the insights in that one here. Mary is such a central figure in Christian icons, her visual presence stretching from the earliest Christian art in the catacombs to contemporary icons and I hope to add more nuance to our appreciation and ability to relate to her unique role in salvation history and Icons of Mary.

Symbols and Icons

In Orthodox iconography, Mary’s veil is deep red, the color of divinity, while the clothes under the veil are either green or blue, the colors of humanity. This is the opposite of the usual depiction of Christ’s robes’ colors. In western religious art depictions of Mary, her robes usually are a light blue. It’s always important to include the names of saints in icons, and icons of Mary usually have the letters “MP OY”, an abbreviation of the Greek: “Mater Theos” – the Mother of God to identify her. The lily represents her purity and virginity while the rose stands for her love and beauty. These symbols invite the viewer to reflect on Mary’s unique holiness and place within God’s plan for man’s salvation.

Mary’s Character Strengths

Mary’s faith and devotion are clearly seen in some of the pivotal moments of Christianity. In the Annunciation icon, the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Son of God, highlighting her acceptance of God’s will, her humility, and deep courage. The Nativity shows the birth of Christ, the fulfillment of God’s promise, and the Flight into Egypt reveals Mary’s protective care in seeking safety for her son. Probably the most poignant is Mary’s presence at the Crucifixion, where her strength and sorrow are deeply felt. These icons not only narrate biblical events but also emphasize Mary’s prayerful and devoted character. Mary’s humility is evident in her acceptance of her Divine mission; her strength is shown in the trials she endures, and her holiness shines forth as the holy and blessed woman chosen to bear the Messiah. Mary, known as the Theotokos, or Mother of God, is a title that affirms Jesus’ divine nature. Throughout history, artists have returned to images of Mary and her son to express the deep bond between humanity and divinity.

Madonna and Christ Child Drawing by Nun Juliana

Theological Themes

While dogmas such as the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, Mary’s perpetual virginity, and her role as Mother of God are complex, Mary’s icons offer us a way to engage with these truths visually and these icons help believers grasp profound theological ideas with personal reflection and inspiration.

Icons of Mary continue illuminate her theological roles, demonstrate her virtues and connect her life story to the faith of believers past and present. I have seen many new icons of Mary, such as Mary, Untier of Knots, at least I believe it is a new prototype. If you have created an icon of Mary that you have created and would like to share it with us, please email it to me along with a description and I will add it to this post. Sharing our work with each other can often lead to fresh insights for ourselves and others.

Miracles and Apparitions

Icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe written by Christine Hales

The Virgin Mary is associated with numerous miracles and apparitions, often attributed to her intercession with God. These include miraculous healings, apparitions like those at Lourdes and Fatima, and the transformation of water into wine at Cana, among others

The Blessed Virgin Mary has been reported to appear to people in various locations, often offering messages of hope, repentance, and love. These apparitions are often followed by reports of miraculous physical and spiritual healings.

Lourdes, France, is a well-known example, with over 7,000 reported cases of miraculous healings and 70 scientifically validated by the Lourdes Medical Bureau. Mary is also associated with spiritual healing, helping people find solace and guidance in their faith. Some stories highlight the transformative power of Mary’s intercession on people’s spiritual lives, leading to conversion and deeper faith.

Sites of Miraculous Apparitions

Lourdes, France: This is perhaps the most famous site associated with Marian healing miracles. After St. Bernadette Soubirous reported visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858, a spring of water with purported healing properties was discovered there. The Catholic Church established the Lourdes Medical Bureau to investigate reported cures, and out of over 7,000 recorded instances of unexplained healing, 70 have been officially recognized as medically inexplicable miracles. The strict criteria for such recognition include that the healing is instantaneous, complete, permanent, and scientifically inexplicable.

Fatima, Portugal: Following apparitions of Mary to three shepherd children in 1917, various miracles were reported, including healings associated with a spring of water discovered after the apparitions. In one case, a woman whose illness Our Lady promised would be cured if she converted experienced healing. The “Miracle of the Sun,” a widely witnessed astronomical phenomenon, is also associated with the apparitions.

Attribution of Miracles: It’s crucial to understand that the Catholic Church attributes miracles to God’s power, often interceded through Mary’s prayers, not as something Mary performs independently.

Scientific and Theological Perspectives: The Catholic Church utilizes a rigorous process involving medical and theological experts to investigate reported miracles, seeking to discern if they are truly inexplicable by natural means and align with Catholic teachings.

Significance: Recognized miracles are viewed as signs of God’s love and mercy that can strengthen faith, not as a requirement for Catholic doctrine or devotion.

It is important to note that accounts of miraculous healings attributed to Mary are deeply rooted in faith and devotion. While some claims have undergone rigorous investigation and medical validation, the ultimate belief in their miraculous nature rests on faith in God.

I hope that these reflections may encourage you to explore the beauty and spiritual richness found in Marian art and discover anew the profound significance of Mary, Mother of God, and share them with this post or another post in the future!

Blessings and prayers,

Christine Simoneau Hales, Iconographer

Atakhist Mary Icon written by Christine Hales

Below is my previous blog post about Mary.

Mary

INTERSTING LINKS FOR ICONOGRAPHERS

Orthodox Arts Journal Article About the Work and life of Father Zinon

The Meaning of Icons, Father Maximos Constas

My Links:LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2025

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

https://newchristianicions.com my main website

Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons

https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en

American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

Icons For Lent

If ever there were icons that personified the phrase, “Icons as theology in Color” it would be Lenten and Easter Icons.

We could start with the Stations of the Cross Icons.

Stations of the Cross Station One — Station One Icon, Christine Hales

I wrote these icons many years ago in a small village in the Hudson Valley New York. I had been asked by my priest at the beginning of Lent to write these icons and have them finished by Good Friday!!! Those of you who have written icons know how impossible a task that seemed! And so it was, that I embarked on that somber and deep journey of walking with Christ as I created each icon with prayer and sometimes tears. I do want to mention that I was studying icon writing at that time with a nun at the New Skete Monastery in upstate New York, Sister Patricia Reed. When I would go up to work with her, I often watched her as she created her Stations of the Cross icons for the All Saints Cathedral in Albany New York. So, I asked for her help and she kindly gave me color photographs of her stations, which I used to create these icons here. That was a big help, and it is part of the traditions of icon writing, that the designs are handed down from generation to generation, from teacher to pupil, thus ensuring a correct understanding and transmitting the means and methods of icon writing from master to student.

These currently hang in the chapel of the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The tradition of walking the path of Christ’s Passion dates back to the earliest Christian pilgrims, who visited the sites in Jerusalem believed to be where Jesus walked to his crucifixion. By the 13th and 14th centuries, the Franciscans—who had been granted custody of Christian holy places—popularized this devotion in Europe by constructing “stations” that mirrored the Via Dolorosa. Over time, different numbers of stations were used, until Pope Clement XII fixed the total at fourteen in 1731.

During the late Middle Ages, devotion to the Stations of the Cross was tied to the idea of indulgences, leading some Protestants to reject the practice. Nonetheless, Francis of Assisi and his order played a pivotal role in promoting veneration of Christ’s Passion, establishing shrines and receiving papal recognition as custodians of the holy sites. By the 15th and 16th centuries, the Franciscans built outdoor Stations of the Cross across Europe, often placing them in small chapels or along paths leading to churches.

The titles of each Station, and the Scripture relating to it are as follows:

Station One. The accusing hand condemns Jesus to crucifixion. Matthew 27:31

Station Two. Jesus Picks up His cross. The strong diagonals give a powerful sense of unrest, explosive energy. John 19:6

Station Three. Jesus Falls For the First Time from the weight of the Cross. John 19: 1-3

Station Four. Jesus Meets His Blessed Mother. Luke 2: 34-36 …and a sword shall pierce your heart…

Station Five. The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene. Luke 23:26-27. Bent over double, the cross almost crushes Jesus.

Station Six Saint Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Isaiah 53:2-3

Station Seven: Jesus Falls for the Second Time This time the diagonal of the cross is pointing forward- this is the halfway point of the Passion

Station Eight: The Women of Jerusalem mourn our Lord Luke 23:28-29

Station Nine: Jesus Falls for the Third Time. Isaiah 53:4-6

Station Ten: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments. Luke 23: 34-35

Station Eleven : Jesus is nailed to the Cross. Luke 23:33

Station Twelve: Jesus Dies On The Cross Luke 23:44-47. Into your hands I commend my spirit… The rectangle is broken- split apart, showing visually the magnitude of this event forever changes the world.

Station Thirteen: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross. Matthew 27: 54-55. The position of the hand shows that he is dead.

Station Fourteen: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb. Matthew 27:59-62

With these, you may notice that no faces are visible, and the flesh color is neither white, black or any particular ethnicity. This is because these icons are meant to be a universal visual language to be “read” and related to by all humans, because God’s plan is to save all people.

Some other of my icons that relate to Lent and Easter that are also currently at the Cathedral of Saint Peter- until after May 1, are :

Entry into Jerusalem. Written by Christine Hales

Thinking about the Cross and Icons, I came across this writing of St. Theodore the Studite, an Abbot in a monastery in Bithynia in the late 800’s: “THE CROSS AND THE ICON. “Should the cross be venerated more than the icon?” the heretics ask. “Should it be venerated equally, or in a lesser degree?”

“Since there is a natural order in these things, I think you are speaking superfluously. If by ‘the cross’ you mean the original cross, how could it not have priority in veneration? For on it, the impassable Word suffered, and it has such power that by its mere shadow it burns up the demons and drives them far away from those who bear its seal. But if you mean the representation of the cross, your question is not intelligent. The effects receive differing honor just as much as the causes differ, since whatever is received for some use is less honored than that for the sake of which it was received. Thus the cross is received for the sake of Christ, because it was formerly an instrument of condemnation, but was later hallowed, when it was accepted for the use of the divine passion.” St. Theodore the Studite, On The Holy Icons.

Having just given a talk and written an article attempting to explain the period of iconoclasm, I include the above quote as an eloquent explanation not only of the veneration of the Cross, but also of the obvious distinctions between veneration due to the original source and that due a replication of it.

I’ll close this month’s blog with a prayer and a blessing for God to bless each of you especially during this Holy Season of Lent and Easter:

“Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world; Evermore give us this bread, that He may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.” From the Book of Common Prayer.

With love and prayers,

Christine Hales

Some Interesting Links for Iconographers

Sacred Geometry with Donald Duck! A fun explanation for beginners

Interview with Todor Mitrovic, Orthodox Arts Journal

Christian Iconography Shows Us the Pattern of Reality: Jonathan Pageau, St. Tikhon’s Seminary

My Links:

LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2025

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

Icons As Theology in Color

In the realm of Christian spirituality, icons stand as more than mere religious art. They are a visual form of divine communication, a sacred language that transcends time and culture. As Leonid Ouspensky notes, icons do not serve religion in a utilitarian sense but are an intrinsic part of it—one of the means through which believers encounter and commune with God. When I think of Icons as theology in color, I inevitably go to the Novgorod Icons which were created in Russia from the 14th to 17th centuries.

Sts. Florus and Laurus 16th century, Novgorod

Icons as Liturgical Art

An icon, much like sacred scripture, is a vessel of divine revelation. In the same way that words in liturgy guide the faithful toward deeper understanding, icons serve as instruments of knowledge and communion with God. They are not decorations; they are theological expressions rendered in color and form, inviting contemplation and prayer.

Tradition and the Role of the Holy Spirit

Christian tradition is often misunderstood as mere adherence to historical customs, but its essence is far more profound. As stated in theological reflections, true Tradition is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is through the Spirit that believers gain the faculty to perceive divine Truth—not merely through human reason but through the illumination of faith. Icons, shaped by this Tradition, bear witness to a spiritual reality that is ever-present and active.

The Power of Signs and Symbols

The Good Shepherd, From the Roman Catacombs

The material and spiritual worlds are not separate; rather, they are deeply intertwined. This is evident in the role of symbols, which serve as bridges between the seen and unseen. Early Christian symbols carried layers of meaning—the image of a saint in the catacombs could signify a soul in paradise, an embodiment of prayer, or even the Church itself. Through repeated sacred gestures and imagery, the faithful are invited to enter into the mystery of divine presence.

The Evolution of Christian Symbolism

Christianity has always expressed its mysteries through symbols. Early believers adapted existing signs from the surrounding world—such as the dove, peacock, and anchor—infusing them with new, transcendent meaning. As time passed, explicitly Christian symbols emerged, such as the fish (Ichthys) and the lamb, both representing Christ. These symbols, while rooted in human expression, point to eternal truths beyond words.

Icons: Transcendent Yet Concrete

While maintaining the depth of symbolic language, the icon introduces a unique dimension—the human element. Unlike abstract symbols, the icon makes divine mysteries visually accessible. It brings the infinite into finite form, allowing the ineffable to be expressed in a way that speaks directly to the soul. In the words of Egon Sendler, the icon transforms the abstract into something both transcendent and concrete, revealing the invisible through the visible.

Conclusion

Detail, Face of Christ Icon by the hand of Christine Hales

Icons are not simply religious images; they are theology in color, sacred windows into the divine. Through tradition, symbolism, and the work of the Holy Spirit, they continue to guide believers into a deeper relationship with God. Whether through the gaze of a saint, the presence of Christ, or the gestures of the liturgy, icons remind us that the sacred is always near, calling us into communion with the eternal.

I hope this article has been not only food for thought, but helps to build a solid foundation of theology for contemporary icon development.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Until next month. Blessings,

Christine Simoneau Hales, Iconographer

LINKS For Christine Simoneau Hales 2025

https://newchristianicions.com my main website
Https://christinehalesicons.com Prints of my Icons
https://online.iconwritingclasses.com my online pre-recorded icon writing classes
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK2WoRDiPivGtz2aw61FQXA My YouTube Channel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristineHalesFineArt or https://www.facebook.com/NewChristianIcons/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinehalesicons/?hl=en
American Association of Iconographers: FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371054416651983

American Association of Iconographers Website: https://americanassociationoficonographers.com

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