More on IKONS: Angels and Muses

“Ikons” is just starting. “The Greeks” is only my first chapter and it has been in the works for some time. Most people think the reasons for this are lack of funds, and relocating from the U.S. to Europe and back again. That is only partially true.

When taking on a project of epic proportions, time, money, logistics, and inspiration are rare, fleeting, and more valuable than the most precious of preciouses. When dealing with a concept that goes deeper than deep, challenges the status quo, and seeks to open a dialogue where a stone wall now stands, emotional support is paramount. I am luckier than most because I have a host of Angels on my side.

My project would be nothing without its models and for far more than just the obvious reasons.  Each Ikon is a representation of an Olympian or Titan god, or hero. The model must be more than a physical representation of the subject. They must possess an inner light, an undefinable quality that enables the audience to quickly identify the archetype and resonate with it. Finding people who carry the Promethean ‘light of the god’ inside them is not easy. But I have been blessed to be surrounded by gods, goddesses, heroes and heroines in my ‘tribe’.  I have been doubly blessed to encounter them on my travels abroad, and to become part of their ‘family’.

I never know where I might find my models. They come from all across Europe and all across the U.S.A. Some are blood relatives; some are lifelong friends, both old and new. Some, I met on my travels, and some were in my backyard all along.

The most elusive god throughout, has been Apollo. This is most ironic because he is the one to whom I owe the greatest debt, and he is the one with whom I am most familiar. However, in Prague, Oslo, Athens, Copenhagen, and New York City…wherever I looked, he eluded me. 

When recounting my dilemma to an acquaintance in Oslo, she informed me that she knew a boy from her school days who was a dead ringer for Apollo in his most popular guise, The Apollo Belvedere. He was tall, muscular, had curly blond hair and chiseled features, she told me. I asked her to arrange a coffee date with him so I could judge for myself and tell him about the project. Upon meeting him I was stunned by how much he did, indeed, look like the famous statue. But as time and conversation went on, I realized he just wasn’t right. Although technically he was ‘physically’ Apollo in the most traditional sense, he did not match my project and he did not possess that inner light, ‘the light of the god’.

Almost two years passed. Then, one Friday after teaching my last class of the week, I decided to make a pit-stop at a local bar for an after work beer. The bar is a Lynn, young working class person’s combination Tiki/Sports Bar that features DJs and cover bands in the evening, and a colorful array of local characters in the afternoons.  Here you will find anyone from retired IRA men, to self-proclaimed outlaws and murderers, to the reincarnation of Napoleon Bonaparte, so you can imagine my surprise when HE walked in. 

A local boy, turned art student, turned public school teacher, who plays in two rock bands by night came in to pass flyers out promoting his next gig. I only saw him for a fleeting moment, felt him more than saw him, and after only a minute’s hesitation, followed him outside to ask, no, beg him to pose for my project as Apollo.   He carried that inner light, and he had the right combination of edginess and majesty, and mischief and danger to fulfill the requirements of the most complex archetype. 

The connection was instant. He understood my ramblings completely and agreed to work with me. To this day I am stunned that after all these years, and searching all these exotic and ancient cities, my Apollo was a Lynn boy discovered at The Sand Bar in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Now all my models have been chosen. I have only a few left to shoot as of this writing. I want this message to be a testament to my angels, models, and muses now, and in the future. They should know just how special they are. And in that spirit, I would like to thank friends and family around the world who have believed in this project and have contributed their talent, homes, time, energy, and in some cases, money to make Ikons: The Greeks possible.

Angels (in alpha-beta):  Michael Abbott, Randy Black, Regina Boratgis, Ann de Leon, Ellen Wallis DiMattea, Lise Jourgensen,  Alexander Koufidakis,  D. Michael Loveridge,  Gunnar Mo, Jayne O’Leary, Kristen Pantezelos – Noonan,  Aut Powell, Denise Sordillo Powell, Marco Primicieri, John Rivera, Craig Robinson,  Jocelyn Almy-Testa. 

Muses/Models (The Greeks): Adam (Czech Republic), Adam N. (USA), Alexander (Greece/Czech Republic), Andrea (Chile/USA), Anne (Norway), Cunyet (Turkey/USA), Denise (USA), Diane (USA), Ellis (USA/ Czech Republic), Harmony (UK/USA), Jayne (USA), Jenna (USA), Jennifer (USA), Jo (Norway), Julian (Norway), Lily (USA/ Czech Republic), Marco (Italy/ Norway), Mark (USA), Markus (Sweden/ Czech Republic), Meaghan (USA), Michael (USA), Michelle (USA/UK / Czech Republic), Nanda (USA), Neeko (USA), Olivia (USA), Sonya (Ireland/USA), Veronika (Czech Republic)

 ...and more to come.