Commissions         

   "I'm always in the studio working. Iconography has become a central part of my life. While working I engage in a state of silence which helps me open to the Saint being depicted."  

                                                       - Grace Zazzaro 

    Commissioning an Icon

Once an befitting image and size is selected, the client is presented with a finished drawing and price for the icon, there will be no unexpected  style, content or type of image. The client may make edits or change any aspect of the design up until the actual painting of the icon has  begun, as long as these changes do not contradict Scripture, holy tradition, or the rubrics of iconography. You will be given an estimated future date for the start of work on the commission. Every effort is made to meet this date, but experience has shown that this is not an exact science.

While the process of completing the icon differ from commission to commission, each client will be given a general time frame that will take to complete the work. The icon is written with organic materials, such as egg tempera, which is variable and it will need at least two weeks or more just to dry before it can be varnished. 

If you have a  deadline for the icon (for example, a feast day or some other event), please plan  ahead so there is enough time to comfortably finish and receive the work.     



      Please contact Grace@athellaiconography.net

         for prices and any other questions

The Method
 

 I hand paint Icons in traditional Byzantine style. The prototypes are carefully decided, designed and are held in the traditional canon of rubrics set by the early Christian church. Icons are painted on a wooden panel. They are sealed with a layer of glued linen and layers of marble gesso are applied. Crystalline, semi - precious stones are ground into powder.  The mineral colors are mixed with egg yolk to make tempera paint. Halos and backgrounds are gilded with 23kt. gold. The icon is sealed with oil and varnished.