About
A pivotal encounter
My path
Stéphanie Omvlee-Debilde. I am French and have resided in The Hague, in the Netherlands, since 2014.
Having always been interested in drawing and art, and following studies in history and a career as a primary school teacher, I initially trained in illustration and graphic design before discovering Christian iconography in 2024.
It was a pivotal encounter.
Since then, I have continued to learn and practise this art, with a desire to deepen its artistic, traditional and spiritual dimensions.
I have thus attended several workshops in the Netherlands with the iconographers Piet van der Ploeg in Noordwijk and Martin Mandaliev in The Hague, with whom I continue to study.
Other occasional workshops have also helped me understand that, although iconography is a highly codified art, each iconographer has their own style and their own way of approaching the writing of an icon. I attended a workshop with the iconographer Jacques Bihin on the island of Lérins, and another with Véronique Vié in Versailles.
“Writing an icon places me in God.”Sister Marie-Paul Farran
My approach
Love and prayer
I write my icons following traditional methods: egg tempera on wooden panels prepared with gesso, and gold leaf. Within the rules of the tradition, I try to bring something of my own to each icon, while keeping its traditional character. And I put love and prayer into every one of them.
The icons I discover in museums, through my reading and my research online nourish my inspiration and guide me in choosing my models. I was particularly moved by Véronique Vié’s icons, by the delicacy of their drawing, the harmony of their colours and the gentleness of the faces, which invites contemplation. The icons of Sister Marie-Paul Farran and the Christian art of Bradi Barth have also influenced my approach to iconography.
