Rules for the Icon Painter

1. Before starting work, make the sign of the Cross; Pray in silence, & pardon your
enemies.
2. Work with care on every detail of your ikon, as if you were working in front of the
Lord Himself.
3. During work, pray in order to strengthen yourself physically and spiritually; avoid
above all useless words and keep silence.
4. Pray in particular to the Saint whose face you are painting. Keep your mind from
distractions, and the Saint will be close to you.
5. When you have to choose a color, stretch out your hands interiorly to the Lord & ask
his counsel.
6. Do not be jealous of your neighbor's work; his success is your success too.
7. When your ikon is finished, thank God that His Mercy granted you the grace to paint
the Holy Images.
8. Have your ikon blessed by putting it on the altar. Be the first to pray before it, before
giving it to others
9. Never forget: The joy of spreading ikons in the world. the joy of the work of ikon-
painting The joy of giving the Saint the possibility to shine through his ikon. The joy of
being in union with the Saint whose face you are painting. (Unknown Origin)

Iconographer's Prayer
Teach me, Lord, to use wisely the time
which You have given me and to work well
without wasting a second.
Teach me to profit from my past mistakes
without falling into a gnawing doubt.
Teach me to anticipate the project without worry,
to imagine the work without despair
if it should turn out differently.
Teach me to unite haste and slowness,
serenity and ardor, zeal and peace.

Help me at the beginning of the work

when I am the weakest.
Help me in the middle of the work
when my attention must be sustained.
And especially fill all the emptiness of my work with Your Presence.
Lord, in all the work of my hands,
bestow Your Grace so that it can speak to others
and my mistake can speak to me alone.
Keep me in the hope of perfection,
without which I would lose heart,
yet keep me from achieving perfection,
for surely I would be lost in arrogance.

Purify my sight when I am doing poorly,

for one is never sure that the work will turn out badly;
Yet when I am doing well, one is never sure
that the work will turn out well.
Lord, let me never forget
that all knowledge is in vain unless there is work.
And all work is empty unless there is love.
And all love is hollow unless it binds me
both to others and to You.

Lord, teach me to pray with my hands, my arms, and all my strength.

Remind me that the work of my hands belongs to You
and that it is fitting to return this gift to You.
Yet, if I work for the pleasure of others,
like a flowering plant in the evening
I will wither.
But if I work for the love of goodness,
I will remain in goodness.
And the time to work for goodness and for Your Glory is now.