Fuquay-Varina painter Elina Pelikan creates new art inspired by ancient customs. She is an Orthodox Christian working to produce icons in the traditional Byzantine style. She and her family are associated with St. Raphael Orthodox Church, which is located in Fuquay-Varina and is one of several places where Elina’s large-scale artwork is on display. Her husband, Jesse, is a sub-deacon of the church and his family is of Czechoslovakian origins.
Mixing powdered paint pigments, such as yellow ochre, cadmium red and titanium white, with carefully prepared egg tempera (i.e., yolk with no sac or egg white in it), Elina hand-paints icons—sacred images representing the saints, Christ, and the Virgin. She paints them on gessoed wooden boards and canvas to be hung on church walls and ceilings, and behind sacred altars. She also occasionally paints icons using acrylic paints on masonite.
When painting icons, Elina notes that “the whole work should be done prayerfully.” She said that icons are “images of all of humanity, icons of God, made in His image, although not always in His likeness” and that they are a “reflection of ourselves.” The icons are “not worshiped but rather are a window to this world, like a picture of a grandmother or other relative.”
As it states on the “Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium” webpage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art: “In Byzantine theology, the contemplation of icons allowed the viewer direct communication with the sacred figure(s) represented, and through icons an individual’s prayers were addressed directly to the petitioned saint or holy figure. Miraculous healings and good fortune were among the requests.”
Elina mentioned that icons are “important to our worship and salvation” although the orthodox church believes that “humanity suffers from sin. Yet a newborn is not sinful. It was born into a broken society.” She quoted her husband, Jesse, who likes to say, “Any moment is an opportunity to be perfect—to make the perfect choice.”
Traditional iconographic paintings are based on a pattern made from an existing icon or from a description of the types of garments, hair, objects held, and title for each saint. The paintings begin with a base, known as “sankir” or a “protoplasm,” created in yellow ochre, green earth, or other dark-colored pigment. Progressively lighter layers are then painted over that, leaving the darker color visible in some places. The icons are finished with white touches. Some icons also include embedded relics, such as body parts or items that were owned by saints. The altar and several icon paintings at Elina’s church include relics from St. Luc and St. Raphael of Brooklyn.
Elina explained that western icons tend to be shorter, brighter and face away from the front, while eastern icons face out to the congregation. These artistic styles mostly come out of traditions originating in Russia and Greece.
Elina learned to create traditional-style icons by studying with several artists, including Jan Verdonk, a theologian and professional icon painter from Greece; Daniel Neculae, a Romanian iconographer who now lives in Luxembourg and who came to teach a class in Raleigh in 2015 (Elina said, “His gifts and skills are truly inspiring!”); Cheryl Pituch who lives in Louisiana (Elina learned gilding/gold leaf techniques from her and greatly admires the tooling Cheryl does in halos); and John Phillapacus, whose work is on display at the All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Raleigh, where he serves as their iconographer.
Elina was chrismated in the All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, a mission parish, in 2008. Her current church, St. Raphael Orthodox Church, came from there. She grew up in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, which has more than 800 churches worldwide. She had been baptized as a child as an Episcopalian. To become orthodox, she had to study for about a year. The first time she saw church icons, she said she was “very intrigued.”
Elina has always enjoyed creating art. As a child, she especially loved to draw hands, faces and figures (she has journals full of left hand sketches). In one of her first art classes, she studied ceramics where she created “a tea light with fairies and water.” She did so well with her art projects that her teacher let her create whatever she wished to work on. As an adult, in addition to creating traditional icons, she also loves sculptures and 3D art, which she teaches to other artists in Holly Springs, along with several different art classes. Elina noted that “art is always mobile.”
Elina has created iconographic art for her church but also for others, including St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church of Houston, Texas, where she was commissioned to produce 20 icons on canvas for the side walls, 14 of which have been completed thus far. She recently spent three days there installing these paintings and adding gold detailing that would not have traveled well. For that church, she will also be painting giant angels for the front, and “hopefully to include a dragon” (with Saint George) as she has yet to paint one and would like to do so.
Elina especially loves painting angels (like Archangel Gabriel with whom she shares her middle name) and the mysterious six-winged “seraphim,” along with equilateral crosses (she has one tattooed on her wrist). She finds the work of painting icons to be very “centering” and says it changes her; she feels that she is working on herself as an icon as she creates the art. It’s a “cooperation between an ancient technique and myself” and there is a “synergy” she feels in doing this kind of work. “It’s unlike any other form of artwork” she’s done. She noted that she makes connections with the saints she paints, in personal and spiritual ways.
Elina will have more opportunities to create art for her own church, which will be expanding with construction of a second building at their site. The current building will serve as their parish hall and classrooms, while the new building will become their place of worship (i.e., their temple/sanctuary). Fortunately, most of the paintings she has already made were done on canvas using a technique known as “miraflage” and can be relocated to the new building. Once the new temple is ready, she will add painted images of the crucifixion and resurrection, and also architectural elements and grapevines, among other details.
In addition to creating this moving art, Elina has a lovely singing voice and she sings during church services, which can last for hours or full days. Outside of church and for many years, she has directed a local choir with singers of diverse ages (including some of her own kids) and they have performed at venues such as town ceremonies, special events and street festivals.
On LinkedIn, Elina describes her work as “Photography, Iconography, Music, Dance, and Art instruction, and general Artist for Hire.” She does face painting and photoshoots, and currently teaches theater classes based out of the Fuquay-Varina First United Methodist Church. She and several of her children were involved in the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center’s inaugural Nutcracker performances in 2019. She’s a great tap dancer! All of Elina’s children are artists and performers, and her husband is an artist as well.
Elina’s art and church involvement truly are a family affair and the love she has for her community is evident in her words, actions and artistic creations. Her art may be considered modern treasures by those who gaze and reflect upon them, even as they serve as reminders of the past. They are a gift from her heart and hands to those she loves and hopes to support and inspire. What a unique personality we find in her and such talents as well. Our town is blessed by her presence, openness and perspective.
