The icons began with a piece of ironwood given to me by an ecologist friend. The beauty of the wood, from the Lebombo Mountains, started a slow journey. Other woods I’ve used include linden wood (used to make musical instruments and religious icons), cherry, imbuia and beech.
All the woods feel like a gift from the trees and a living part of the icons, not just a base. I apply the images to the carved woods using a decoupage technique, gold leaf, resin, fine sanding, and beeswax, and on some I use chalk paint and wax.