LORETTA HOFFMANN of Houston, TX
Loretta and I shared a table, as well as mutual technical and artistic help, at a Prosopon workshop in Austin, TX, March 2007. We were painting an icon of Christ Emmanuel, learning shell gold work.
BELOW; ICONS BY LORETTA HOFFMANN 2010
Descent from the Cross; Mary at the Fountain (The Annunciation at the Well)
13 x 17 inches; 11 x 14 inches
Loretta Hoffmann writes: Mary at the Fountain is considered an Annunciation icon (sometimes the fountain is a well), representing the visit of Archangel Gabriel to Mary outside the Temple in which she was said to reside, according to the Infancy Gospel of James. This is considered the first angelic greeting to Mary regarding her future, followed by the version with which most of us are familiar from Luke 1:28-38, where she responded, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."
A note from Betsy Porter: This icon is full of visual references to Mary's purity, fertility, and femininity: the closed tower, the overflowing well, the leafy tree and nesting bird.
Read Loretta Hoffmann's icon blog, including her commentary on several icons shown here, at www.heavenlywindows.blogspot.com