Unfading Flower Icon

My sunny days of pregnancy in South Africa were filled with the thoughts of settling down in a foreign environment mixed with worries of stability for the future and feelings of motherhood that was coming. I think most women have similar experiences in their life when they become responsible for another life.

At the same time I had an extraordinarily strong, calming feeling coming from inside of me, as if the baby were whispering to me, subliming the energy of stress into something meaningful.

This is how the idea of creating a piece of protective art, an Icon, for my future son came up.

Is there such a term as protective art? The art is like an amulet. As a mother and artist, I knew I was capable of accumulating such energy to create something incredibly special for my son. My feelings of love, care and well-wishes were put into this painting.

I started looking for images that would speak to me, and with time the entire world of Orthodox icons opened up to my eyes and my soul. I was learning how to perceive icons.

Among all the variety of Saints and diverse types of ‘Mother of God’ icons, I chose the one that immediately resonated with me.

It was the ‘Mother of God Unfading Flower’ icon.

The icon depicts the Mother of God with the Divine Child in one hand and lilies in the other hand. The image symbolizes the unfading flower of virginity and purity of the Blessed Virgin to whom the Church sings: “You are the root of virginity and the Unfading Flower of purity.”

It is widely believed that during prayer in front of the icon, help is given not only to the soul, but also to the body, helping to preserve beauty and youth. This icon helps people who are experiencing strong life dramas. In such cases, prayer in front of the image inspires new strength in a person, helping them to survive during a difficult period of their life and to get rid of all worries and gloomy thoughts.

Besides the deep symbolism and meaning of the icon, I had an additional delight to its aesthetic values. The beauty was astonishing and there was no doubt that I would paint this image. I felt so honored to start my experience by painting this Icon with oils and dedicate it to my life-changing commitment.

It took 2 weeks of highly detailed meticulous painting on a A4 size canvas.

I was feeling blessed and getting ready to step into the maternity world. Since that time this beautiful Icon is serving as a protective art on the wall of my child`s bedroom.