Stevan, did you paint the icons in the East Bay Serbian Orthodox Church?
S: How did you know about that? A: I looked you up on the internet before coming over here. S: Well, actually, I did do that, but I didn’t do all of the work in there. I did the work on the frame between the altar and the congregation. Somebody else did the murals in there. The person who did the murals was a trained iconographer, and you can tell. There’s a real difference. I did an artist’s version of iconography. They way they do it, man, it’s the most rigid system and everything is symbolic… it’s almost like you’re copying someone else’s stuff. D: Did you use egg tempera? S: No, I used oil. It’s not about creativity, but working within a strong tradition. D: Yeah, the monks who originally did it, had no individuality. They were like servants. A: So… where do you work, Stevan? S: Right here (indicating wall easel) and here is where I work on studies (indicates standing easel a few feet away.) A: Say, this is an interesting easel… S: Oh, I don’t know, it’s old…. I acquired it
