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| Archangel Michael Icon 44” x 33” |
Artist Statement: All journeys end with one journey: when we at last go home. On that last journey, we have the ultimate protector, the Archangel Michael, to guide us safely to the promised land. This icon depicts Michael, the mighty captain of the heavenly hosts, beautiful but strong, always listening for God’s commands and acting swiftly on what he hears. Michael is the great protector of God’s people, battling evil on a cosmic scale, and protecting and escorting souls on the great journey out of this life and into the presence of God. Angels are always with us. Scripture teaches that in all our journeys—short or long, physical or spiritual—we are accompanied, aided, and protected by God’s messengers, the angels. Angels play a key role in the Christmas and Epiphany stories, of course, sending everyone on journeys. Gabriel announces the news that will upend Mary’s life and send her to Bethlehem. Angels speak to Joseph in dreams, leading him to stay with Mary and the Child she will bear, and then to take them to safety in Egypt. Angels announce the great news to shepherds and send the Magi home by a safer route. Sometimes angels protect us and keep us from doing the wrong thing. In the book of Tobit, the Archangel Raphael accompanies Tobias on his journey, along the way driving out a demon and healing a blind man. And think of the angelic intervention in the story of Balaam’s donkey! There is only one source for what the angels do: God’s love. In the icon Michael holds an image of Christ Emmanuel, “God with us.” Michael, “Who is like God?”, acts wholly and only through God and God’s Word. Angels demonstrate time and again that God’s love is always with us, whatever our journey. Bio: Zachary Roesemann is a full-time professional iconographer and icon scholar based in New York City. His work is found in churches and homes around the world, and he lectures regularly on the history, art, and spirituality of icons. Zachary paints icons using the traditional techniques and materials—natural pigments, egg tempera, and 23-karat gold leaf—used in Byzantine and medieval art. As iconographers have done for centuries, he models his icons on the ancient originals, those images that the church has over time accepted and revered as “windows on heaven.” Within this tradition he paints icons of holy figures both within and outside the Orthodox canon. His work has been featured in several curated gallery and online shows, including a one-man exhibition at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul in Burlington, Vermont, and at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. Zachary’s icons have also appeared in Episcopal and Lutheran church publications in the United States and Europe. He is an active member of the Episcopal Church in the Visual Arts (ECVA). Zachary apprenticed in iconography with the noted American iconographer Father John Walsted. Zachary is an Associate of the Order of the Holy Cross and a graduate of Princeton University. He currently works out of his studio at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City. Examples of Zachary's work can be seen on his website: www.sacredicons.net |
~ STORIES FROM THE ROAD ~ |
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