My Bio
Art is my life. I have an A.A., a B.A., and an M.A. in Art with a Ph.D. in Education. (I'm "the kind of Doctor that doesn't do you any good," as my son once told his friend.)
I did research for my Master's degree while living in Florence and studying Etruscan, Renaissance and Medieval Art. I taught at the College/University level from 1988 to 2010, mostly Art History and drawing. I paint in acrylic, oil, and watercolor and draw in graphite and colored pencil primarily. Predictably, many of my subjects are Art Historical.
I have studied in both Greek and Russian Orthodox Icon painting schools. I have always been drawn to the Madonna and Child - I remember being about nine years old looking at an encyclopedia and thinking to myself, "This is the Madonna. This is Art. This is what I will do when I grow up." And I did. After 4 arduous years earning my Ph.D., I had a dream that instructed me to "paint icons," specifically the Madonna in Santa Maria Nova in Rome. This is a very early 5-7th Century, Roman Icon. I have painted her 5 or 6 times and I just don't seem to tire of either painting or drawing her.
When I first began painting Icons I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to change them so I made the Madonna a bit prettier, the Child a bit less old. Later I attended the Saint John of Damascus Icon Painting Academy and the Christ Pantocrator I completed there is one of my best and very closely resembled the pattern we were given to copy. Now, when someone asks me: "But you don't want to paint a slavish copy, do you?" I fervently answer, "YES! Yes, I do!". In spite of my best intentions my own style sometimes creeps into my Icon paintings. I have made peace with this by resigning myself to including, inadvertently, a "human" element.
I painted my large Christ Pantocrator from the original image in the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai, which may date to 600 c.e. He is so majestic and mystical (and beautiful). I love doing this. Painting Icons puts me in another place, a beautiful place.
I married in 2009, after 30 years of being single, and my husband was raised Russian Orthodox. Him passing his father's personal Icon to his own son was an important part of our wedding ceremony. Icons and religious paintings have a power all their own. My husband and I were drawn together because of my Icon paintings.
Current projects:
I did research for my Master's degree while living in Florence and studying Etruscan, Renaissance and Medieval Art. I taught at the College/University level from 1988 to 2010, mostly Art History and drawing. I paint in acrylic, oil, and watercolor and draw in graphite and colored pencil primarily. Predictably, many of my subjects are Art Historical.
I have studied in both Greek and Russian Orthodox Icon painting schools. I have always been drawn to the Madonna and Child - I remember being about nine years old looking at an encyclopedia and thinking to myself, "This is the Madonna. This is Art. This is what I will do when I grow up." And I did. After 4 arduous years earning my Ph.D., I had a dream that instructed me to "paint icons," specifically the Madonna in Santa Maria Nova in Rome. This is a very early 5-7th Century, Roman Icon. I have painted her 5 or 6 times and I just don't seem to tire of either painting or drawing her.
When I first began painting Icons I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to change them so I made the Madonna a bit prettier, the Child a bit less old. Later I attended the Saint John of Damascus Icon Painting Academy and the Christ Pantocrator I completed there is one of my best and very closely resembled the pattern we were given to copy. Now, when someone asks me: "But you don't want to paint a slavish copy, do you?" I fervently answer, "YES! Yes, I do!". In spite of my best intentions my own style sometimes creeps into my Icon paintings. I have made peace with this by resigning myself to including, inadvertently, a "human" element.
I painted my large Christ Pantocrator from the original image in the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai, which may date to 600 c.e. He is so majestic and mystical (and beautiful). I love doing this. Painting Icons puts me in another place, a beautiful place.
I married in 2009, after 30 years of being single, and my husband was raised Russian Orthodox. Him passing his father's personal Icon to his own son was an important part of our wedding ceremony. Icons and religious paintings have a power all their own. My husband and I were drawn together because of my Icon paintings.
Current projects:
- Collaborating with my husband Tom on a book of poetry inspired by The Saints. It will be written by my husband and I will be illustrating it with their portraits.
- Working on a panel of Saint Ignatious surrounded by red lions. I have a Saint Nicholas roughed out to begin painting, and am looking forward to painting a Saint Ann holding the Virgin as a child.
- I accept commissions for: Saints, Icons, Angels and personal portraits.
Copyright © 2017 Melanie Marchant Meschery. All rights reserved.
