Russian Fairy Tale Art
Artist Bio: Debra Korluka
I have worked as a professional iconographer for 18 years and an artist for 28 years and have studied with master iconographers in the United States, Ukraine and Russia. I am commissioned to produce formal icons for liturgical use, practicing both egg tempra technique and acrylic paint on board, and I also do restoration work.
I practice the Byzantine style of icon painting which has its origins in the 5th and 6th centuries. Each image carries a wealth of detail and symbolism, making the icon a visual storehouse of theology and Orthodox tradition. Iconographers use canonized images, based closely on centuries-old prototypes, depicted in a stylized fashion to emphasize the saint’s holiness rather than their humanity. The tradition is always expanding, while remaining solidly rooted in ancient forms. The icon is an organic, living, breathing piece of creation that moves through time to speak to us. The key is to maintain universality so that it may reach across generations. The creation of each icon is a spiritual journey steeped in tradition and Russian Orthodox culture.