St. Mark and his lion

Lounging ocean side in Alexandria.

Icon writing is slow and immersive.

The icon starts with the darkest colors: dark brown, deep red, midnight blue, sankir (a mixture of yellow ochre and black) for the flesh.  I layer and layer the thin paint so that as it builds, the resulting color is rich with depth and the brush strokes disappear. 

The layering of light is almost like magic, causing th…