Painting an icon is like making a little bit of heaven peak through into our material world. It's not just the design, the shape and colours, but the very matter itself, the grains of pigment, the texture of the wood, the shimmer of the gold, all are transformed into a hymn in paint. It is all to God's glory and a testament to his love!

Commissioning an icon is thus something much more than ordering an icon print, however fine the quality.

It's a spiritual treasure to be passed down the generations, and a potent witness to God's love in our world.

" On our Parish pilgrimage in 2017, St Michael’s Parish from Worthing, West Sussex, met Ian Knowles – the Director of the Bethlehem Icon Centre. He was inspiring. The icons were breathtakingly beautiful and spiritually uplifting. The commitment to the highest standards of sacred liturgical art was obvious and listening to Ian talking about them we could not help but be impressed by the prayerful nature of their creation. Painted in the traditional manner with gold and tempera they are truly magnificent testimony to our Faith and Mission. When we returned to Worthing we shared our experiences and it was agreed that to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the parish we should commission two for the Church. These have now been done, one of St Michael and one of our Lady, and are proudly hung either side of the altar. They are inspiring." 

Margaret Bamford, 2019 

What's involved in commissioning an icon?

I have been painting icons since I was in my late teens, and had my first commission when in Anglican theological college.

Now, many years later, I am a full time professional iconographer, and have completed commissions for a very varied range of venues and people, of sizes and complexity.

For me, the icon is a door, a place of encounter, where heaven opens up on earth through line and colour. Christ stands in matter and caresses our eyes and our souls with his tender, merciful love.

When I paint Christ or the Blessed Mother, one of the angels or the saints, I aim to paint 'from life', as I do when doing any portrait. I try to get a sense of them, and what they are asking me to show of them. This makes it a profound prayerful work, a contemplation from heart to heart.

Thus I am not really drawn to making good copies or faithful variants of existing icons, however noble and worthy a task that is. My passion is rather to create something that is fresh, alive, rooted in my encounter with these holy people and the context into which my work will be placed. Timeless truths taking new forms in specific times and places. Christ is the God of the living, and is ever new, not trapped in a museum of the past. We must change simply to remain the same, yet our innovations needs be inherently conservative, to give witness to what is ancient, timeless and enduring.

I also do consultations on church refurbishment, design work, and undertake some restoration work on statues and icons.  Email me if you have something in mind.