Melpo M. DeFotis
"There is one body and one Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4:4-6
Melpo M. DeFotis has devoted her life to studying and "writing" icons, and she paints portative icons for people interested in a deeper spiritual and prayerful life.
Icons are the subject of renewed interest in Eastern Christian churches and among Western Christians. Melpo is drawn to the Byzantine and Russian styles of icon painting. Her icons can be found in the United States and abroad in private collections. Melpo earned a Bachelor's degree in liberal arts at Syracuse University and studied oil painting with artists in New York City and Chicago. She also taught iconography workshops at the Dormition Orthodox Monastery in Rives Junction, Michigan.
An advocate of Christian unity, Mrs. DeFotis was commissioned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin to paint a Pentecost Icon for its Jubilee in 2000, and contributed to a booklet written about the icon. Touchstones, an interfaith education group connecting "with the communities that can nurture ... in new and fresh ways," asked Mrs. DeFotis to speak on how she found spirituality through icons. She showed her work at an innovative show at the Finestra Art Space in Chicago and at the Montez Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church bookstore in Glenview, Illinois displays her icons. She is available for commissions. See Melpo's icon portfolio.
