Painting an archangel, workshop by Jan Verdonk

Yesterday I followed a workshop by Jan Verdonk. Jan Verdonk is a thelogian specialized in Byzantine church history. Now he is an iconpainter and a teacher by profession. You do not have to be churchmember to follow his courses. I do not know much about icons but was interested in the old techniques and some day I want to paint Mother Mary ( I made some artcards with her image).

gabriel painted with egg tempura

Jan teaches to paint in a traditional way with egg tempera. He demonstrated how to make this paint with pigments, eggs and vinegar.  Egg-tempera is wellknown because of its bright colors.Unfortunately the remnants of the paint are bad for the environment. It was dificcult to paint because the texture is different from the acrylic and watercolors I am used to. Icon painting is not just making a copy. Everyone has a his/her own style. I certainly want to follow more classes but I have to find some time because the course is not in my neighborhood.

And perhaps some day I can paint my madonna..........

The mirror has two faces no 11

do I look all right?

Finally I finished another "mirrorcard".
Its a beautiful lady, looking in a mirror. Do I look all right? Yes you look wonderful tonight.
What do you see: the insecurity or vanity?
Women are often insecure about their appearance and we often need lots of clothes or make-up to feel fine.
Magazines and media reinforce the idea that we must look like models. Training your mind is often more effective to overcome insecurity than surgery.

Vanity is on the other side. In art, vanity is often symbolized by a mirror, a peacock or a naked woman combing her hair. We all know the vanity of the queenmother in Snow White and the seven dwarfs.
I hope your mirror is kind to you and that is has the magic to see your inside beauty........

ADO art dolls only

art dolls only/challenge

My contrubution to the challenge of ADO: