Arts

Last year, I met with the spiritual leader of Saint Moses and Saint Katherine Coptic Orthodox Church in downtown Toronto. He introduced me to the church congregation where I was astonished by the love they have for each other and their community. They accept everyone including strangers. One day I went with them to a homeless shelter where they selflessly volunteer to serve the needy in the community. They sacrifice their time, effort and even money just to help others. It made me wonder about the secret of their love. I did not dare ask anybody about the source of this love. I discovered it on my own after I completed a special project for the church.

I am an Electrical Engineer but also an artist. Sketching and painting icons is my hobby. When I learned the church needed an icon, I offered to help. Congregants donated raw materials, art supplies and cut wood for the icon. One congregant offered to help me paint. I started to lead the group by laying out dimensions of the painting. The design was implemented into two stages. The first stage was to sketch the painting on a canvas. The second stage was to prepare a wood backing on which the canvas would be affixed. Once designed, we cut the wood in a cross shape based on the design. Once the wood was cut, I could begin painting the icon using the sketch.

The canvas painting was done on many layers. Some parts of the icon needed two layers but the other parts required three. I used dark brown as the basic color for layer one then I painted the much lighter colors after. After the painting was completed, it was difficult to right it. It was a challenge to design a good base to support the cross. For a base we used two heavy pieces of wood. We cut the wood into four pieces then we tried different designs until we found the best option. The entire project took about forty days to complete because I couldn’t work on it daily. Fortunately, the icon was ready for the celebration of Orthodox holy week this year.

As an artist, I know that artwork is all about delivering a message or visualizing a historical event. While I was paining this icon, I finally understood the love the congregation has for its members and others in the community. This project allowed me to connect my feelings to theirs. It was a unique experience as the message of love of the icon became clear in mind. Sometimes love leads to sacrifice; moreover, sacrifice is a proof of the true love. As members of my Church believe God loves them, they in turn love others