'Icons Written by the Hand of God'

Pam Park wants to help people understand that they are icons written by the hand of God and are valued and loved by God.

“Because icons are part of the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, they are a wonderful prayer discipline,” said Mrs. Park. Icons have been called theology in imagery and can be used to guide a person into a closer relationship with God.

Mrs. Park, a parishioner at St. Paul’s Chattanooga, is an iconographer. That means she paints icons within the canons of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

She is also studying for a master’s degree in spiritual direction at General Theological Seminary in New York City. She uses icons as a means of providing that direction and is available to both parishes and individuals in that capacity.

Although formulated within the Orthodox Church centuries ago, icons are applicable to anyone in the Christian Church, Mrs. Park said. Interest in icons is developing in churches in the West as they try to recapture some of the mystical understanding they have lost.

An icon is written, not read, and if written within the canons of the church, is considered scripture. It does not point to itself as a thing of beauty but points to the revelation of Christ.

Icons are painted on wood and 15 to 20 steps are involved in painting them, according to Mrs. Park. Everything is symbolic. For example, the grain of the wood is vertical, representing the Tree of Life; the color purple is associated with wealth and power, the color brown with the earth and inert matter.

Everything used to create an icon is supposed to come from natural sources. Nothing is manmade. For example, icons traditionally are painted with egg tempra, although modern iconographers sometimes use acrylics. The gold that glows on icons is supposed to be pure gold.

It takes years to become an experienced iconographer. “It is not a discipline you go into and expect to be an iconographer in 30 days or less,” Mrs. Park said.

She became interested in icons while studying for her master’s. “I found myself involved in them, surrounded by them.” She has taken three workshops with with Vladislav Andreyev, a master iconographer.

As part of her master’s degree work, Mrs. Park has put together an as yet unpublished booklet, “Holy Gazing: A Way of Prayer with the Holy Icons,” that talks about the history of icons, their context and their symbolic language. She gives instructions on how to “read” an icon and how to pray using icons.

The booklet’s cover features the Icon of the Holy Trinity written by Andrei Rublev in 1425. He is considered the greatest iconographer other than God, Mrs. Park said. With his icons, “he attained the purest spiritual, artistic and theological vision ever written.”

Mrs. Park is a member of the Spiritual Life Committee of the Diocese of East Tennessee and hopes to use her knowledge of icons to help with the work of the group. “We are trying to foster spiritual awareness and opportunities for awareness in the diocese,” she said.

Anyone interested in contacting Mrs. Park about her work with icons can call her at 423-886-4054 or write her at 806 Glamis Circle, Signal Mountain, TN 37377.