By now I hope you've all visited my gorgeous new website designed by Craig Robinson. We've decided to publish only the finished (distressed) Ikons on the site, and put my portfolio of all the images (raw prints) here on the blog along with their descriptions. So, I am looking for a photographer to shoot the finished ikons. Because the high luminosity of the Ikons causes glare, I need someone with the right filters to photograph them properly. If you, or someone you know can help me, please email me via my webpage.
So here I will publish all the images of The Greeks shot thus far. Only 6 more images need to be done to complete the pantheon and heroes. There are a few options for purchasing my work.
1. Finished Ikons signed and numbered (only 10 of each will be produced) - $800.00
2. Raw prints - $100.00
3. Custom triptychs: you may combine any 3 images from my portfolio and I will put together a triptych; each image will be cracked and distressed as the larger single ikons. You can see an example of a triptych in the photograph on my blog about Open Studios. $300.00
PORTFOLIO
Zeus
Zeus, King
of the Olympian gods defeated his father and the elder gods the Titans to rule
over gods and humans. His word is law and his law, absolute. In addition to
being the Greek version of the All-Father, it is said that Zeus has dictated
the karma and obligations of our eternal soul.
He is the author of our purpose and our journey in this life. With a
role of the dice, and a nod to his whim, only Zeus can decide whether we live
or die, succeed or fail.
This Ikon depicts
Zeus showing you the outcome of your fate... double 6!
The
photograph was taken in 2008, in The Black Widow Cafe, lower Zizkov, Prague,
Czech Republic.
The model
comes from Greece. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked by
hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering reads:
Everything is easy for a god. The dice of Zeus always fall well.
Hera
Hera,
Queen of the gods, wife of Zeus is the patroness of marriage and family. She
symbolizes perfection in all things. Known for her tirades against her husband,
Hera shows us the dark side of love through jealousy, and the dark side of
perfection through pride.
This Ikon
depicts Hera in all her beauty, adorning herself with the feathers of her
familiar, the peacock.
The
photograph was taken in 20011, in Salem, Massachusetts.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: The wind kindles fire. Intimacy kindles love.
Poseidon
Poseidon,
brother of Zeus, is god of the sea. He
rules over the depths of our emotions, and our egos. The hero Odysseus is lost
at sea for 10 years after the Trojan War, because he did not keep his ego oin
check. He did not learn the lessons sent to him by Poseidon, nor did he heed
his admonition, ‘Remember you are just a man.’
This Ikon
depicts Poseidon with his fishing net beckoning you into the depths of the sea
to explore your emotions. The sea can be tamed and used to nourish us and to
calm us, but when not respected, it can also lay us to waste.
The
photograph was taken in 2011, at Red Rock, Lynn, Massachusetts.
The model
comes from The United States. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and
cracked by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek
lettering reads: Trust the land, mistrust the sea.
Hades
Hades,
brother of Zeus, is Lord of The Underworld and oversees the fates of all souls
in his charge. Also known as Hades Pluton, he is keeper of gems and the riches
found underground.
The Dark
God, even though feared by many, is capable of love. He was enchanted by the
maiden Persephone, and brought her into his realm. Keeping her there by
offering her wine and the seeds of a pomegranate, he gave her the secrets of
sex, life, and death, holding her with him for 6 months of the year.
This Ikon
depicts the god standing at the door to the Underworld, and offering you the
potion that allows you to glimpse the secrets he possesses.
The
photograph was taken in 2010, in the Grunerlokka section of Oslo, Norway at the
door of a chuch.
The model
comes from Italy. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked by
hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering reads:
May you fall into Hades’ rectum.
Hestia
Goddess of
the Hearth, Hestia rules over everything connected to home and family. Her arts
include the magic of cookery and the sanctuary granted by the warmth and safety
of the home. In Ancient Greece and Rome, the hearth was the central focus of
every home, and its inhabitants did daily rituals that would appease the
goddess and ensure she gave blessings to the heart of the abode.
This Ikon
depicts the goddess tending her fire and bestowing her benevolence upon those
who best reflect her attributes.
The
photograph was taken in 2011, in Swampscott, Massachusetts.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: No one who is hungry sings sweet songs.
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Demeter
Demeter,
Sister of Zeus, Mother of Persephone, is among the first generation of
Olympians. She oversees all matters of fertility and has the power to endow the
earth with bounties of fruit, flowers, vegetables and grain, or to plunge the
world into cold darkness, creating an environment where nothing will grow.
This Ikon
depicts the goddess partially hidden, observing us, and contemplating whether
we are honoring her gifts enough to continue to reap them.
The
photograph was taken in 2012, in Natick, Massachusetts. The model is holding a
bowl of her own locally grown, heirloom produce.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Through inexperience of death, every man is afraid to leave the light of
the sun.
Athena Goddess of War
and Civilization
Athena is
the Patroness of the City of Athens. She rules over the strategic aspects of
war and all the hallmarks of high civilization, including education, libraries,
and the courts of law.
Athena, born
from the left temple of her father, Zeus, King of the Olympic Gods, remains a
virgin goddess, but not without the pleasures of falling in love with and
aiding her favorite warriors in the art of battle.
The
photograph was taken in 2010, in the upper lobby of the Boston Public Library,
and depicts the goddess in contemplation of war and the current crisis
affecting civilization.
The Model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Along with Athena, move also your hands.
Apollo
Apollo,
the most complex god in the pantheon, is the son of Zeus. He is the god of
music and poetry, enlightenment and prophecy. He rules over the Pythia who
delivers his oracle at the temple in Delphi. Apollo’s prophecies cannot be
circumvented, as demonstrated by the tragic story of Oedipus. Apollo also is
the only god who has the ability to cleanse man of the most terrible sin of
blood crimes. His duality is striking, for he is indeed the most beautiful, but
he can be the most fearsome.
This Ikon
depicts Apollo in front of his temple mischievously guarding his lyre.
The
photograph was taken in 2012, in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, Massachusetts.
The model comes
from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked by hand
using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering reads: And
I, for my part, command you to stand in fear of the oracles, both mine and
Zeus’ and not cause them to be unfulfilled.
The Winged
Feet of Hermes
Hermes,
the messenger god, serves a psychopomp. He leads the souls of the dead to the
ferryman who then guides them to the shores of the underworld. Hermes is also
our direct contact to the word of god, and when the feeling of epiphany comes,
it is almost certain that Hermes is whispering in your ear.
This Ikon
focuses on Hermes’ winged feet. His ankles are bandaged and bloodied, because
the god’s duties have been taxed and many during these troubled times.
The
photograph was taken in 2008, in a flat in Kostnicke Namesti, lower Zizkov,
Prague, Czech Republic.
The model
comes from The Czech Republic. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and
cracked by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek
lettering reads: Everything is burdensome except to rule over the gods. For No
one is free except Zeus.
Dionysus
Twice born
Dionysus, Patron of Thebes, is both a fertile and destructive energy. Best
known as god of wine, he is also god of the mask, and thus, a patron of the
theater. However, his dominion over the mask goes deeper and is tied to his
connection to prophecy, for in the winter months, he fills in for his cousin
Apollo at Delphi when the Light God takes a holiday to the Hyperborean.
Dionysus’
connection to the mask is his way of leading us into our own personal abyss for
the purpose of deeper self-examination.
He is the master of the art of ‘destruct to reconstruct’, and the
understanding of light through a journey into darkness.
This Ikon
depicts the god offering us a choice between two paths, the light, or the dark.
The
photograph was taken in 2011, in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, Massachusetts .The
model comes from Turkey. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and
cracked by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek
lettering reads: God and nature do nothing without reason.
Persephone
Emerges
Persephone
daughter of Demeter is the object of the affection of Hades, god of the
Underworld. Overcome by desire, he abducts her and brings her to his home
beneath the earth to rule by his side. Her mother misses her daughter and
strikes a compromise with Hades, which allows her daughter to return to earth
for half the year.
This Ikon depicts
Persephone emerging from the Underworld bringing with her the secrets of life
and death as symbolized by the pomegranate.
The
photograph was taken in 2007, in Olsanske Hrbitovy, a cemetery in Zizkov,
Prague, Czech Republic.
The model
comes from The United States. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and
cracked by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek
lettering reads: Who knows if life is death and down below, death is considered
life?
Persephone
in the Underworld
Persephone,
wife of Hades, is Queen of the Underworld and Guardian of Magical Arts. For
half the year she must reside in the Land of the Dead with her husband and
share the duty of judgment of souls. She has the power to grant second chances
or condemn the dead to life as shades for all eternity.
This Ikon
shows Persephone offering a spirit a second chance through the gift of a
pomegranate.
The
photograph was taken in 2007 in the cemetery, Olsanske Hrbitovy in Prague,
Czech Republic.
The Model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Death is immortal.
The Maenad
The handmaidens and
high priestesses of Dionysus, Maenads indulge in monthly rituals of frenzy to
disrupt the order of their everyday lives and expose themselves to chaos. This
ritual brings them closer to the god, and provides them with a balance and
intimate understanding of both the light and dark forces of nature. Maenads
have transformative powers and by using their staffs (thyrsoi), they can bring
milk, wine, water and honey from boulders and trees, and invoke the god through
song and dance, granting them the ability to prophesize during this time of
controlled frenzy.
This Ikon depicts the
Maenad offering you the gifts of Dionysus and tempting you to experience the
delicate balance of dark and light, teetering on the edge of the abyss.
The
photograph was taken in 2011, in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, Massachusetts .The
model comes from The USA.
The
finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked by hand using a 3 step
varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering reads: Let matters proceed
as god wills.
Ariadne in
the Maze
Minoan
Princess Ariadne has fallen in love with the great Athenian hero Jason and has
vowed to do everything in her power to help him.
Jason has
been instructed by Ariadne’s father King Minos to enter the great maze, find
his way to the center, and slay the Minotaur, a half man half bull
monster. Up to this time, no one has
ever come out of the maze alive. Some warriors have died, lost within its
walls, and those skillful enough to reach the center have been slain and eaten
by the Minotaur.
Ariadne
gives Jason a ball of string to unroll as he makes his way through the maze,
ensuring that he will not be lost on his way out after he has slain the
monster.
This Ikon
depicts Ariadne offering Jason his salvation, the ball of string.
The photograph
was taken in 2007, in the center of the great maze on the grounds of the Troija
Chateau in Prague, Czech Republic.
The Model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Man is only breath and shadow.
Pandora
Pandora,
whose name means all gifts, was a prototype woman created by the gods to give
as a gift to Prometheus’ brother, the Titan Epimetheus. Pandora was given the
gifts of beauty and grace, but cursed with curiosity. As a wedding present, the
gods presented her with an elegant box, but admonished her never to open it.
Her curiosity got the better of her and when she opened the box, all the ills
of the world were unleashed and from that time, man was cursed with war,
jealousy, old age, sickness, and madness, just to name a few woes. But left
hovering in the corner of the box was hope. No matter what ills befall us, the
gods will always give us hope.
This Ikon
depicts Pandora offering you the magical box.
The
photograph was taken in 2008, in Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Gifts persuade the gods.
Agamemnon In The Bath
Agamemnon, King of
Attica and Lord of the Ships has returned home after a 10 year campaign in Troy
waged to retrieve his sister in law, Helen.
With his concubine and slave, Trojan princess Kassandra in tow, he
finally arrives home and at the palace steps, is greeted by his wife, Queen
Klytaemnestra.
Klytaemnestra has
been seething, plotting and planning for these ten years because Agamemnon had
sacrificed their youngest daughter Iphegenia in order to appease the goddess
Artemis and bid her to make the winds fill the Achaean sails and point the
ships to Troy. Klytamnestra enlists the help of Agamemnon’s cousin Aegisthus,
who has an ax of his own to grind.
She lures her husband
into the palace with the promise of a luxurious bath, and once vulnerable, she
binds him in his own robes and slaughters him.
The Ikon above
captures Klytaemnestra in the act of murdering her husband.
Kassandra
and The Trojan Horse
Princess
of Troy and Priestess of Apollo, Kassandra possessed the gift of prophecy.
However, because she spurned the advances of the god, her advice was never
believed. She warned her father, the King of Troy, to ‘Never Trust Greeks
bearing gifts’ in the form of a giant wooden horse, and was not heeded. The
horse was seen as an act of truce, brought into the city, and subsequently
unleashed the Greek warriors to levy the fatal siege to the Troy.
This Ikon
depicts Kassandra standing by the horse, handing her Staff of Prophecy back to
the god, renouncing him.
The
photograph was taken in 2009, in Prokopiev Namesti, in the lower Zizkov section
of Prague, Czech Republic. The model is
standing on a sculpture of Zizka’s horse.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: Apollo, Apollo, Lord of the ways, you have undone me totally.
Medea
Medea, daughter
of the sun god Helios is betrayed by her husband Jason, who leaves her and
their sons in order to marry a younger woman. Using the magical skills that
once helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece, Medea kills her husband’s mistress,
and then slays their sons in revenge. As a demi-goddess, though, her children
are not doomed to the underworld. Her father Helios arrives in his chariot and
spirits them off to Olympus.
This Ikon depicts
Medea and her sons as they await the arrival of Helios.
The
photograph was taken in 2010, in the Grunerlokka section of Oslo, Norway.
The models
come from Norway. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked by
hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering reads:
The sowing of children is a self-inflicted grief.
Prometheus
The Titan god
Prometheus so loved man, that he defied the will of Zeus and gave man the gift
of fire, so that they may possess the arts of war, magic, cooking and artistry.
This was not the first time Prometheus goes against Zeus, so in punishment,
Zeus chains him to the side of a mountain, where an eagle rips out his liver
and devours it, only to have it regenerate, so that it may be devoured again,
prolonging Prometheus’ agony for eternity.
This Ikon depicts
Prometheus at the top of the mountain after he is released by Hermes. He shows
you the chains with which he was bound and the blood on his shirt from his
wound.
The
photograph was taken in 2011, in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The model
comes from The U.S.A. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and cracked
by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek lettering
reads: You behold this spectacle, me, this friend of Zeus, with what woes I am
bent by him.
The Moirai
The Destinies, (Moirai) are
ancient goddesses, older even than The Olympians. They control the thread of
life of every human from birth to death and direct the fates of both men and
gods, ensuring that Karma is carried out without obstruction. Although Zeus
assigns each soul their destiny, The Moirai are relentless in its execution and
sometimes, even the father of the gods must yield to them.
The Moirai are sometimes called
the 3 Sisters or The Fates. Klotho (The
Spinner) spins the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle. Lachesis (The Alloter) measures the length of
the thread of life allotted to each person, and Atropos (The Unturnable) once
deciding upon the manner and time of a person’s death, cuts the thread with her
‘abhorred shears’.
This Ikon depicts The Moirai
perched upon the Karmic Wheel as Klotho and Lachesis watch their sister Atropos
levy judgement.
The photograph was taken in
2006, in Lynn, Massachusetts at the courtyard of The Lynn Heritage Museum. The
models are standing on a machine part from an old Victorian era shoe factory.
The Models come from The
U.S.A., Ireland, and Chile. The finished Ikon is mounted on birch, aged and
cracked by hand using a 3 step varnishing process, and the Ancient Greek
lettering reads: The world is a stage,
life an appearance. You come, you see, you depart.
So now what? Well, my Kerouac exhibit which was at 119 Gallery in Lowell from October 10th 2014, and extended til November 21st was a success. A few pieces sold and there was wonderful feedback. The messages behind the images were fueled by intensive research done at the Kerouac archives in the Berg at the NYPL, and although I was on a high directly after that with plans to take the show to St. Petersburg, Florida, and then look at opportunities in Denver, New York, and San Francisco, the accident happened and my momentum was put to a full stop.
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