“The noble ones have seen as happiness the ceasing of identity. The view of those who clearly see runs counter to the entire world. What others speak of as happiness, that the noble ones see as suffering; what others speak of as suffering, that the noble ones know as bliss.”

- Shakyamuni Buddha, Samyutta Nikaya

Berkeley, California: 2025

There is no room in the icon for the artist. Taken seriously, this kind of work stops being about the kind of self-expression championed in modern art. Any of my self that comes through my work is a failure on my part. Blinded by worldly passions, I share nothing in common with those depicted in the icons. My work is only a success to the extent that it is alien to my own nature, far removed from any worldly self. Any beauty expressed through the icon is beyond my own hands and is completely the working of Other-Power: Other-Power being something outside of the self, completely distinct from us and therefore completely unfathomable. 

I did not become attracted to this vocation out of any sense of virtue within myself. It has only been through taking my religious practice seriously that I have become acutely aware of my own shortcomings. Compassion does not come easily to me. Lying, cheating, stealing: these feel effortless for me, even deeply satisfying. A lifetime of putting myself first, perhaps countless previous lifetimes as well, has granted me a heart that is turned inward, completely consumed with its own desires. I believe most of us are like this, whether or not we are willing to face it. Coming to terms with the immense weight of my negative karma has moved me to pursue this work. 

I have been moved to depict holy people because I really do believe in holy people. I genuinely believe that Shakyamuni Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini, went forth into homelessness at the age of 29, became enlightened at the age of 35, and preached as a beggar until he died in Kushinagar at the age of 80 as a perfectly enlightened being. The Buddha claimed that the self is non-existent, an illusion, a hindrance to the reality of things as they are. He claimed that the only thing which existed was motion, action, karma. Rejecting the reality of holiness makes it easy to remain stagnant, to dwell in the suffering of the world. Believing in holiness, I cannot help but move constantly, to will myself closer to that which is holy and away from what is profane. 

Whether or not I will ever attain sainthood is of no importance. The religious icon serves the purpose of reminding us of an ideal, a limitless potential which is available to us. Perfection is presented to us as unattainable because the relationship to an ideal is one of never ending romance. There will always be more to give, more to change about oneself in growing closer to holiness; this manner of relationship is one in which intimacy only grows more intense. I did not become interested in religion because I’m a pedantic rule-follower; my religious practice is rooted in an unruly passion which I’ve managed to direct towards something worth loving forever. To frame an icon in gold, to clean an icon, to kiss an icon: this is what religious practice means to me and the religious icon is central in this.

“But the person who has come to faith (whether he is extraordinarily gifted or plain and simple does not matter) does not come to a standstill in faith. Indeed, he would be indignant if anyone said this to him, just as the lover would resent it if someone said that he came to a standstill in love; for, he would answer, I am by no means standing still. I have my whole life in it.”

- Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling

I have been an artist my entire life, but in 2022 at the age of 23 I made the decision to pursue the vocation of a religious iconographer. I have no prestigious credentials from any art school nor any religious institution. I have a bachelor’s degree in religious philosophy and although my education has greatly informed my work, I don’t think it acts as any kind of qualifier for the legitimacy of my work. I have no directive or permission from any member of clergy to do what I am doing. Any clergy member who would regard my work as admirable is deeply appreciated. But if a priest were to condemn my work, this truthfully doesn’t matter to me.

To produce a holy image has little to do with credentials and permissions. I believe holy images have very little to do with our world. A base claim of every great religion is that the world we currently occupy is compromised, stained in some way by a diabolical influence. A saint becomes holy by rejecting this world, transcending this world. My religious icons are not drawn realistically because holiness is not realistic in a world as upside down as ours.