View, Dreams and Gathering

I decided that I would take some pictures as I moved along my process of constructing and painting the icon.  I also enclosed the photo that was my motivation for this piece.  When I saw the photo of this icon, my interpretation was going to be completely different than how it ended.  I loved the shape of the icon but the image was going to be an abstract .  I was working directly on the panel with pencil hoping my scribbles would suggest a form that I could refine.  As you see on the drawing that my image just got more realistic  so I figured a greater force had taken over so I went with it.  I had done a series of abstract seated figures years ago and that is where I was going but never got there.  I was working with oil so each day I would finished it with retouch varnish.  I worked on this painting for about 2 weeks and then I had to figure out how to put the gold leaf on without it sticking to the paint.  I cut out some heavy white paper that fit the interior of the panel and laid it over the painting.  It was dry by this time so it didn’t stick.  The lower panel is acrylic with many coats of dull varnish on it.  
The painting “ Gathering in the Apricot Garden” developed from a title I saw in the paper .  I loved the title so I did a painting.  
The Bridge painting developed the same way.  Just a image  in the paper that suggested the construction.