Iconography, Byzantine Art, Religious Art by America's Leading Iconographer
New Christian Icons
Iconography
About New Christian Icons Artist, Iconographer Christine Simoneau Hales
by Christine Simoneau Hales
New Christian Icons are a form of religious art that is created today for people and churches. Icons are sacred images that bring forward the God centered world perspective of the early centuries.
Founder of the American Association of Iconographers, Christine is dedicated to the process of creating beauty through Icons. She believes that our culture is in need of Holy images that reflect the love and presence of God. Ms. Hales’ teaching and commitment to fulfilling Icon commissions demonstrates her passion to bring God to the churched and unchurched as well.
“We live today in an age of post denominationalism, where some of the more important issues of the Christian faith are less about division and nuanced theology and more about evangelization and healing. Healing for our culture and world is a function of a healthy relationship to God.”
Creating Icons according to the Canons and honoring the Orthodox Church as well as all the Christian denominations is part of the tradition of spreading the Gospel through pictures.
St. George and the Dragon by Christine Hales
Sacred Art in the Community
One way to evangelize is through prayer and teaching individuals the spiritual discipline of a prayerful art practice. Often, the placement of Icons in public and private spaces where those who don’t attend churches can see and experience God is a way of blessing through the Icon.
Icons Go Straight To Our Hearts
Since Icons go straight to our hearts and by pass the intellect, God’s love can sometimes be apprehended through an Icon more easily than a book, or sermon. Whether our culture realizes it or not, it is desperately in need of God’s love. Some are called to Icon writing. It can be an important way that we can share God’s love. In addition to the joy we have in writing the Icon, we can share it with many, many people. It can be an act of service and giving of the talents we have been blessed with. New Christian Icons are valuable because they speak to our culture in this century, using the important foundations of the past.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Icon by Christine Hales
ABOUT Christine Hales
A contemporary artist (christinehales.com) as well as an acclaimed American Iconographer, Christine teaches Icon writing to artists as well as to people who are not familiar with painting. As an award winning painter she also holds a BFA in Painting from Mass Art in Boston, and an MS in art Therapy from the College of New Rochelle, NY. She has studied with several Iconographers over a fifteen year period, including; Vladislav Andreyev, Nuns of New Skete, Peter Murphy, Stephan Rene. She has also studied classical portraiture in Florence, Italy, and Egg Tempera painting with Koo Schadler. Her commissioned icons are in many churches and private collections. Ms. Hales lives and works in the Hudson Valley, New York, and Sarasota, Florida, with her photographer husband, Mick Hales.
Commissioned Icons
Ms. Hales’ Icons are in churches such as St. Vincent dePaul in Albany, Graymoor Monastery, as well as at Most Holy Redeemer Mausoleum, in addition to many more traditional, smaller panels for private and public commissions.
Email Christine to schedule a talk, Icon Retreat, or Commission an Icon.
If you’d like information about having an Icon writing class in your area, or commissioning an original Icon, message Christine:
