Here is the most recent icon I painted of Holy Lady of Vladimir. I began painting this icon last summer (2020) and finished a few months ago. I worked at it a bit at a time and took some pictures along the way.
Not only is our OCA Mission, Holy Lady of Vladimir, named for this icon but it just so happens to be my personal favourite icon of the Mother of God. I gifted this hand-painted icon to my aunt as a token of love from her nieces and nephew (my sister, brother and me) for taking care of our mother during her cancer treatment last year. Our aunt is a wonderful member of our family and we are very grateful to her for all her help and support.
May the Mother of God and Christ never cease to look after and protect her just as she tirelessly looked after our mother!
Here are some photos showing a bit of the step-by-step process:
*As you can sort of see in the first photo I applied the gold at the beginning of the process, for it’s “in thy light that we see light” Ps. 36:9 and “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). The iconographer applies the gold first to mirror sanctification – a person encased in the light of Christ gradually becomes light, “for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). To protect the gold during the painting process I covered it with paper and that’s why you’ll notice a paper covering throughout the photos until the end.
I also framed a print of my hand-painted icon and hung it on the wall above the candles in our new church location at 1618 Portugal Cove Road. (My cell phone is so old it doesn’t take good pictures but this gives you an idea.)
matushka constantina
lessons from a monastery 
Thank you for sharing this beautiful icon. I love Christ’s arm around His mother’s neck.
Glory to God! I love his little hand around Panagia’s neck too!