![]() He found that he enjoyed the quiet, contemplative nature of iconographic work. ![]() People would say, 'Oh, that's beautiful,' and I believed them." It was several years before he could give away his work to anyone other than family members, he joked. "I couldn't tell that my stuff wasn't good. One of his earliest had the skin tone of Kermit the Frog. When he was 14, he took his first summer job, helping a professional iconographer at the retreat center where his father worked. It's where your family says their prayers together," he said. "In every Orthodox home, you're supposed to have an icon corner or wall. He grew up surrounded by icons - most painted by his father, who was self-taught - and was always intrigued by them. Garrett doesn't recall having much talent for drawing or painting as a kid. His dad later went to work at a library at the Antiochian Village retreat center near Pittsburgh, and that's where Garrett grew up. Garrett was born in Yonkers, N.Y., where his father studied at an Orthodox Church in America theological seminary, St. Many religious iconographers do not sign their work, or they put their name after the phrase "by the hand of." "The hand of the iconographer is supposed to be guided by the Holy Spirit," Garrett said. "I tend to think of myself as a technician who is working for the church," he said. Garrett doesn't use "artist" to describe his vocation. The main purpose is to portray the Gospel message. But that's not their primary purpose," Garrett said. ![]() "There's nothing wrong with appreciating their beauty. Like the Orthodox monks and clergymen who came before him, Garrett views the icons he paints primarily as ministry, not art. Some ancient religious leaders, including Pope Gregory I, saw icons as a way to communicate the church's message to the illiterate. "It's another way of telling the story of faith," he said. "A lot of people learn best visually, or their hearts are captured visually by painting. He sees icons as "windows to Heaven." "They teach us about holy living and holy lives," Wettstein said. Iconography isn't part of the Episcopal tradition, but it's not uncommon to find icons in Protestant churches, Wettstein said. ![]() I think a lot of people in the parish were moved by how beautiful it was," said Father David Wettstein of St. After 40 days of prayer, the church unveiled the 3-by-4-foot icon at its 49th anniversary celebration in September. With a parishioner's donation, the church commissioned an icon of the Martyrdom of Stephen. His work is in several churches, among them, St. Garrett has been commissioned by individuals and churches all over the country over the past 17 years, finding jobs through old-fashioned word-of-mouth and through his website /. He carries forward the ancient tradition of Orthodox Christian iconography in a modest West Boise, Idaho, house that he shares with his wife, Lisa, and her cat, Cecelia. The 34-year-old paints nearly every day, re-creating scenes from the Bible and heavenly images of the risen Jesus, Christian saints and angels on wood and canvas. The 34-year-old paints nearly every day, re-creating scenes from the Bible and heavenly images of the risen Jesus, Christian saints and angels on wood and canvas.īOISE, Idaho - Matthew Garrett makes a living from the tip of his paintbrush.
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