The Pallium (Clement's bishop's stole) was a mess. I carefully painted over the errors, and I will add the anchors back on as a last touch. I used too much white on his robes, so I needed to paint some of them over and reapply lighter layers. And the best part was, I didn't get annoyed or mad at myself. It was just a time of learning that I needed to slow down, turn my attention to tiny details, and only paint a little bit in a sitting.
I wrecked the ocean water, too. Having completed it, I couldnt stop myself from applying one more layer, and it seriously degraded the look...and so, I had to re-paint all the white lines in the ocean waves.
I settled on the Scroll: "Seek Peace and Follow After it," from 1 Clement 22:5, was more than appropriate. It was a lesson I myself needed to learn as I grappled with the fact that I am not a particularly good painter, and have no reason to get annoyed at myself for mistakes. I simply need to learn from them, and correct myself as I am able.
Ironically, Clement wrote his first letter to Corinth because a group of young, impetuous hotheads had replaced the 'old guard' in the Corinthian church through some political maneuvering. In their haste to get things done 'their way,' they overthrew the established (and wiser) order. In many ways, my own painting parallels their impatience: skipping steps, moving too fast, not realizing the mess I was making. Clement advised the church members to 'seek peace, and follow after it' rather than create chaos.
Yes, my painting of this Icon is a living, contemporary example of the Corinthian 'problem,' and Clement's gentle admonishment.
I am recommitted to patience. I painted the outside border today, and am considering how I want to approach the inside border, in which I had planned to mimic Roman mosaics from the 1st Century. But that will be for another day. No need to do it all tonight....
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