How an icon is born

Process

An icon isn't painted, it's written — through a sequence of patient steps, each with its purpose, inherited from a centuries-old tradition. Here is how a piece comes to life in the studio, from bare wood to the final layer of olifa.

The panel

It all begins with a well-seasoned board of lime or poplar. I brace it against warping and sometimes clothe it in linen, which holds the ground better.

The ground (levkas)

I lay coat after coat of levkas — fine chalk bound with natural glue — then sand it until it is smooth and ivory-white. The icon will live on this surface.

The drawing

I transfer the drawing from a traditional model and lightly incise the outline into the ground, so the line survives beneath the colour.

Gilding with gold leaf

I apply bole and then gold leaf to the halo and background. Burnished with an agate stone, it catches the light and makes it tremble.

Colour — from shadow to light

Pigments are bound with egg-yolk emulsion. I work from dark tones toward the highlights, in transparent layers — as light gradually rises from darkness.

Olifa — the final layer

Finally, a film of olifa protects the icon and deepens the colours, uniting them under a warm glow. From here, the icon begins to live.