Testimonials from a few of my satisfied clients.
One of the greatest joys of my life is to serve the divine liturgy at St Seraphim Cathedral, where I am surrounded by the beautiful frescos painted by our iconographer, Subdeacon Vladimir Grygorenko. The subject of the sermon is often already painted on the walls around me in beautiful colors and restrained emotion. The large sizes of the figures on the wall make it easy for the worshipers to interact with the company of witnesses and cloud of saints surrounding them. The depiction of the feasts of the Lord and the many missionary saints that have brought us the faith help us focus our worship in a unique experience and offering in the context of the Church here in the United States. Our prayer, in a certain sense, is depicted on the walls around us glossed with the words on the scrolls inscribed in the English language.
I have professionally collaborated with Vladimir for the past eight years, and can vouch for his extraordinary skill, productive work ethic, and fine character. There are only a handful of iconographers in the United States who are capable of painting professional-quality sacred murals directly on plaster. Of these, Vladimir is easily the most skilled and reliable. He is also the most thoughtful and adaptive, developing his art to suit American styles of churches, rather than exactly replicating Byzantine models. He has painted two churches that I designed, with spectacular results.
The Monastic Brotherhood of St. Gregory Palamas Monastery in Ohio has been more than pleased with the work that master-iconographer, Vladimir Grygorenko has done in the main church of our monastery. While we appreciated the high quality of his work, we have not been terribly surprised by the overwhelming admiration of our bishop, Metropolitan Savas of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, professional iconographers, art historians and scholars who seen his work in our monastery. He has been very easy to work with. We knew from our first meeting that we could be very straightforward with him, even as he was very frank and straightforward with us. He has taught us a great deal and has listened to our concerns. Of primary importance to us is the fact that Vladimir is himself a subdeacon, a wholehearted participant in the liturgical life of the church, and someone who has experienced, understood and clearly articulated the mystical reality of the church's worship. He works in a timely fashion. That is to say, he gives an estimate of the time a project will take, he is mostly ahead of schedule and has never been behind schedule. All dealings with him, financial and otherwise, have been fair and straightforward. We wholeheartedly recommend and endorse him and his work.
Stunning- absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Vladimir! This brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with love.
These are exquisite! Far exceeding my hopes.
Great job, Vladimir! Absolutely amazing work!
