"Blessing of Unity: The Panagia and the Newlyweds", acrylic on board, fr. Stamatis Skliris, 2024
"Saint Porphyrios", acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2023, 40x30cm
New Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri, 18-06-2023
"St. Stephen the First Martyr", acrylic on board, Stamatis Skliris, 2023
At first sight, we see in the image the joy of the face of the first martyr as he "looks at the Lord who is coming in his glory," based on the text of the Acts of the Apostles, where he forgives his executioners in his prayer to the Lord.
But in the icon, an "ecclesiology" is also expressed by the golden church in the lower right. The First-Martyr Saint "builds," "founds," the Church of Christ with the blood of His martyrdom, inaugurating the endless series of martyrs that will follow after him. And pictorially, we declare it with the golden loaf in the shape of the Church, which he holds in the other hand, which partakes of the faithful. He holds her with the handkerchief, painted like a waterfall of the martyr's blood flowing from the Church of the martyrs.
This image has a symbolic language (besides the visual language). "Hagiography" (with its primary meaning, i.e., the writing of martyrologies and other lives of Saints) is connected to ecclesiology through the Body and Blood of the First Crucified and Risen One through the symbol of the small church - the artophorion of the divine communion.
And the horarion on His shoulders with the Thrice-Holy hymn written on it, connects everything to the end where the Chief Witness sings "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord the Sabaoth (Svet, Svet, Svet...)" with the angels forever.
"Saint Elias of Thisbe", acrylic on board, Stamatis Skliris, 2023
"St. John the Forerunner", acrylic on wooden board, Stamatis Skliris, 2023
"St. Andrew", acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2022
"St. Sabbas the Sanctified", acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2022
The iconographic depiction of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, the venerable ascetic who once graced the arid landscapes of Palestine and the Jordan desert, is a masterful homage to the undying spirit of Byzantine artistry and its spiritual profundities. This portrayal of Saint Sabas, redolent with the distinct ethos of the transformed human, becomes a beacon of ascetic transcendence and spiritual refinement.
The visage, bathed in serene luminescence, resonates with the profound calm of a spirit that has transcended earthly tumults. Those eyes, pure and unshadowed by transient desires, lock the viewer in a penetrating gaze that is reflective and inviting, urging us toward the mysteries of ascetic evolution and soulful metamorphosis.
The finesse of Byzantine craftsmanship is unmistakably present in this Stamatis painting, staying true to the revered canons of iconography. The meticulous delineation of Saint Sabbas' features evokes the depth of his sanctity, portraying a face that has communed intimately with the divine.
In juxtaposition, the austerity of his garb, rendered with eloquent simplicity, stands as a silent testament to the profound truth that spiritual affluence is often found amid material restraint. This juxtaposition amplifies the timeless message that spiritual ascendancy is less about external grandeur and more about a deep-seated communion with the divine.
The entire composition eloquently heralds the commitment of those who consecrate their existence to Christ. Saint Sabas, the luminary behind the Mar Saba Monastery, emerges as a symbolic lodestar, testifying to Christ's central role in every ascetical sojourn and the human soul's intrinsic quests. This portrayal beckons the observer to meditate upon the lasting allure of asceticism and the limitless potential of divine-human synergy.
With this icon, Fr. Stamatis Skliris epitomizes the ethos of heroic anthropology. The clarity in the saint's gaze, free from the smog of passion, signifies a being who has weathered the rigors of spiritual warfare, emerging passionless and purified, poised to engage with humanity with unparalleled equanimity.
"St. Nektarios", acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2022
Holy New-Martyrs, acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2021
Saint Maria of Paris (Skobtsova), acrylic on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2021
Saint Maria of Paris (Skobtsova), acrylic on canvas, 2021, Stamatis Skliris
It is a resurrectional, eschatological image which shows—in the misery and smallness and destructiveness of Nazism—St. Maria Skobtsova with a smile in her soul, brave, and contagious, that transforms and transfers the landscape to heaven, where we will meet together, both victims and executioners, in the eternal party of the Kingdom of God! The secret key is the Crucified whom she holds in her arms with longing like a precious treasure, the One who made her take the place of the prisoner and be executed like Him.
Saint Maria of Paris (Skobtsova), acrylic on canvas, 2021, Stamatis Skliris
It is a resurrectional, eschatological image which shows—in the misery and smallness and destructiveness of Nazism—St. Maria Skobtsova with a smile in her soul, brave, and contagious, that transforms and transfers the landscape to heaven, where we will meet together, both victims and executioners, in the eternal party of the Kingdom of God! The secret key is the Crucified whom she holds in her arms with longing like a precious treasure, the One who made her take the place of the prisoner and be executed like Him.
"Three Serbian Saints: Sava, Nicholai, and Justin", acrylic on board, 2020, Stamatis Skliris
Panagia Quick to Hear (Παναγία η Γοργοϋπήκοος), acrylic on board, 2020, by Stamatis Skliris
St. Photini the Samaritan Woman, acrylic on wood, by Stamatis Skliris, September 2020
St. Photius and Aristotle, acrylic on canvas, 2020
"Six-winged Angel", acrylic on cyclical canvas, 2020
"Blessed Ephraim Katounakiotis", acrylic on canvas, 2020
By God’s grace, I finished the icon of St. Ephraim of Katounakia tonight, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. The Saint received us in about 1968, when we, as medical students - Charalambos, George and Stamatis - went for the first time to Katounakia and we saw this awesome and sweet Elder. His two eyes were Christ-bearing, big, affectionate, but the love that came out of those eyes was “apocalyptic”.
"St Paul caught up to the third heaven", acrylic on canvas, 2020
St. Anna with the Little Panagia, acrylic on canvas, 2020
"St. Gregory Palamas", acrylic on canvas, 2020
"St. Gregory Palamas", acrylic on board, Stamatis Skliris, 2020
With the grace of Christ, at this moment I have finished the icon of St. Gregory Palamas, including the polishing and everything else. The Athos shines, the soil is golden, the trees are red and the beard and the hair of the Saint is on fire. The face shines with the bright accents, and the eyes are ecstatically joyous but being serious they are not smiling towards us. Based on this icon we are introduced to divine immutability a la Palamas, leading us to Christ Who energizes the Divine activity.
The Place Guarded by Angels, acrylic on canvas, 2020
"An Angel Greeting Us", Stamatis Skliris, acrylic on canvas, 2020
"An Angel Greeting Us", Stamatis Skliris, acrylic on canvas, 2020
"St John the Baptist", Stamatis Skliris, acrylic on canvas, 2020
St. Photius, acrylic on board, 2019
Angel of Victory, acrylic on canvas, 2019
Jesus Christ the Merciful One, Acrylic on board, 2019
The Mother of God “Eleousa”, Acrylic on board, 2019
Jesus Christ, acrylic on canvas, 2019
Segnora Nostra - Queen of Los Angeles, 2019
Christ Carrying His Cross, acrylic on canvas, 2019
Christ Carrying the Cross, acrylic on board 70 x 50 cm, 21-3-2019
The Panagia, acrylic on board, 2019
"St Porphyrios the New", egg tempera on board, 2018
St Maximus the Confessor with a bird and a fish, acrylic on cardboard, 2018
St. Maximus the Confessor, acrylic on board, 2018.
Inviting Zacchaeus to Come Down from the Tree, Acrylic on board, Stamatis Skliris 2018
The Mother of God with Christ, egg tempera on board, 2018
St Maximus the Confessor, 2018
St Maximus the Confessor, acrylic on wooden board, 2018
Saint Isaac the Syrian, acrylc on canvas, Stamatis Skliris, 2018
Panagia the Healer, acrylic on canvas 2018. Icon made for Asclepion Hospital in Voula, Greece.
St John the Forerunner, "Repent", egg-tempera on board, 2018
The Panagia - the Joy of All, egg tempera on wooden board, 2018
The Mother of God, egg tempera on board, 2018
Dormition, Egg-tempera on board, 2018
The Mother of God - Axion Estin Eleousa, Egg-tempera on wooden board, 2018 by Stamatis Skliris
"Tearful Mother of God", Egg tempera on wood, 2017
"The Panagia", Egg tempera on wood, 2017
"St. George of Ioannina", Egg tempera on wood, 2017
Saint Gerasimos of Cephalonia, Egg-tempera on wood, 180x62 cm, The Church of Agialeousa, Cephalonia, 2017.
Venerable Saint Gerasimos of Cephalonia is the patron saint of the island of Cephalonia in Greece.
St. Marina, egg tempera on wood, 2017
Jesus Christ, egg tempera on wood, 2017
Panagia and Christ, egg tempera on wood, 2017
Christ at His Second Coming, Acrylic on canvas, 2017
"Saint Porphyrios", Egg Tempera on board, 2016
Hodegetria, acrylic on wood, Santa Barbara, 2015
Jesus Christ the Merciful One, Acrylic on canvas, by Stamatis and Maxim, 2015
Saint Mardarije of Chicago and Libertyville by father Stamatis Skliris, august 2015.
Saint Sebastian of San Francisco and Jackson by father Stamatis Skliris, august 2015.
Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring, Egg tempera on wood
Angels "Hello" Waving, 2015
St John Chrysostom, egg tempera on wooden board, 2015. Painted with God's help on Tuesday, January 20, 2015. Special characteristics: The Saint is not watching us but the Holy Altar. His eyes are red reflecting fire. He is not smiling but ecstatically facing the awesome sacrifice. He is seeing something that we can not see. To the right of him is the Holy Chalice, and to the left is the Paten (Diskos) bearing the LAMB. Divine Communion is the Fire that burns.
St Nicholas of Myra with St Nicholai of Žiča and St Justin of Ćelije, egg tempera on wooden board, 2015/01/16 (owned by Aleksandar Radičević)
Saint Stephen the First Martyr, egg tempera on wooden board, 2014
Saint Georgios
Saint Dimitrios
Saint Euphrosynos the Cook, december 2014
Saint Panteleimon
Saint Kallisti - Inspiration
I often borrow elements from different artistic periods in the service of the icons I paint. This icon of St. Kallisti was ordered by someone in the Crimea. It was painted on Saturday 7 June 2014. Some people may not like it, but it may just be an authentic portrait.
The Second Coming, detail, Acrylic on canvas, 2014
The Second Coming, Acrylic on canvas, 2014
Christ Pantocrator, detail, St Nektarios Church, wall-painting, Ano Voula, Attiki, Greece 2014. This grandiose Pantocrator wall-painting was photographed from the scaffolding, and for this reason it is not seen in its entirety. Soon it will be available integrally on the Holyicon.org.
