From Kansas City (but from Boise)
Matthew Garrett makes a living from the tip of his paintbrush.
The 34-year-old paints nearly every day, re-creating scenes from the Bible and heavenly images of the risen Jesus, Christian saints and angels on wood and canvas. He carries forward the ancient tradition of Orthodox Christian iconography in a modest West Boise, Idaho, house that he shares with his wife, Lisa, and her cat, Cecelia.
Garrett has been commissioned by individuals and churches all over the country over the past 17 years, finding jobs through old-fashioned word-of-mouth and through his website. His work is in several churches, among them, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Boise.
With a parishioner's donation, the church commissioned an icon of the Martyrdom of Stephen. After 40 days of prayer, the church unveiled the 3-by-4-foot icon at its 49th anniversary celebration in September.
"It is splendid. ... I think a lot of people in the parish were moved by how beautiful it was," said Father David Wettstein of St. Stephen's.
Iconography isn't part of the Episcopal tradition, but it's not uncommon to find icons in Protestant churches, Wettstein said. He sees icons as "windows to Heaven." "They teach us about holy living and holy lives," Wettstein said. "A lot of people learn best visually, or their hearts are captured visually by painting.
Read more:
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/09/3256034/orthodox-christian-iconographer.html#ixzz1dIqz9NzR
No comments:
Post a Comment