Artandicon's Blog

  • Holy Fire in the First Cathedral

    Revisiting a theme for a new painting. I’m in a different mood and this painting’s bright colors reflect this. Working on a painting over several days allows me to build my ability to concentrate over longer periods for reading or listening to conversations.

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  • Icarus and the Sun

    After a long dry spell due to attending to other important matters, such as the taxman and the excitement of my annual conference, I have returned to my studio with pent up joy for painting. While all of us need to take care of the business of everyday life, I am finding I move more…

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  • JOURNEY TO THE CROSS

    In the season of Lent, the forty days before Easter, Christians walk with Jesus toward the cross as he prepares for his death and resurrection. Luke 9:51 tells us, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke relates many of the miracles, parables,…

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  • Emotional Responses to Antique Art

    Sometimes we struggle so hard to paint the image before us—the form, shadows, the colors, and lines—we forget to also paint our emotional response to the subject matter also. In the matter of faith, John Wesley once said, “There have been many in every age and nation, who were almost persuaded to be Christians, but…

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  • Not Sad to See the Old Year Go

    Happy New Year to All! May 2026 be full of light and life, art and soul, grace and generosity, as well as Joy and Peace.

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  • Rublev’s Holy Trinity

    My artistic and spiritual journey with the Rublev icon of the Holy Spirit left me wanting to return again when I am in better health. I’ve made my way into the common pitfalls which result from inattentive observation and will be in a better frame of mind at a later date.

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  • Never surrender!

    “Never give up! Never surrender!” This is my favorite quote from the 1999 sci-fi parody film Galaxy Quest. As a fan of Star Trek, I love the heroics of the storylines and the movie’s devoted fans. What sets this spoof story apart is how an alien culture has modeled its entire identity on the “historical…

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  • Weaving a Life Story

    Weaving is a metaphor for our life’s story and journey. We envision the weaver in charge of the colors, designs, and textures of the finished fabric. The weaver’s goal is to produce a beautiful product. We often think we are in charge of our own destiny, as “The Weaving Song” by Carolyn Hester, in which…

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  • The Iconography of the Nativity

    What Makes a Nativity Scene? The gospels remind us the story of Christ’s birth isn’t necessary for our salvation. Only our faith in Christ’s saving work for us on the cross is necessary “to transform our humble body that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables…

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  • Picasso’s African Masks and Inner Mysteries

    What is the key to open the door to the hidden mysteries? For Frodo and his fellow travelers in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they needed to know the elvish answer to the riddle, “Speak friend and enter.” Gandalf knows this language, so they enter with ease. For years, the Egyptian hieroglyphics were unintelligible…

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