‘Those images were so profound.’ KC artist lets Catholic faith guide icon creations

In the eighth and ninth centuries, waves of iconoclasm swept the Byzantine empire. Beautiful, glittering icons depicting Christ, Mary and the saints were smashed in the name of a puritanical interpretation of scripture.

The insanity subsided in the latter part of the ninth century, and icons were once again venerated in the Orthodox church. Centuries of artists have since created these otherworldly paintings to adorn churches and homes, lift the spirit and direct the mind to eternal things.

Tom Dolphens is carrying on the tradition. The Kansas City artist worked for The Kansas City Star for almost 30 years until he retired in 2009. Ten years before he retired, he started to paint icons, and he’s been painting them ever since.

“Once I did my first couple of icons, I felt that’s what I was supposed to be doing,” Dolphens said.

The seed for Dolphens’ interest in icons was planted in his Catholic upbringing. He was born to a large family in Omaha and attended Catholic schools. In high school, he took art lessons from a nun he considers one of the most influential people in his life. He was also profoundly influenced by the aesthetics of the church.

“When I was a kid in Catholic school, you always had holy cards, and the artwork on those always fascinated me,” he said. “Those images were so profound and so beautiful on that little bitty card. I also started to collect icons and had several antique ones.”

A friend who was a priest suggested Dolphens start painting them, and he followed that advice.

Dolphens is not looking for praise. He has a humility that stems from working to stay sober as an alcoholic, and that has helped him see own place in the universe. He doesn’t have a website to promote his art, but after prodding from his friends, he says that plans for one are in the works.

Dolphens is committed to painting icons in a strictly traditional manner. That includes using tempera instead of acrylic paint, following traditional color symbolism and always saying a prayer before beginning to paint.

“I feel like I’m guided to paint these images for other people to benefit from,” he said. “I get such a great reward out of it and I’m very grateful I have the talent to do them. I have a little book that has a prayer in it that guides you so that when you’re painting them, you’re doing it not only for the glory of God but for the benefit of those who view it.”

Dolphens’ icon of Christ’s Descent Into Hell can be seen in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and another of his icons hangs in Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. He often donates his icons to seminarians studying for the priesthood, and he has sold many to a select clientele that hear about his art by word-of-mouth.

One of those clients is Hyde Park resident John Gregory.

“When I first met Tom and saw his other works, I immediately asked him to create for me an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help,” Gregory said. “That was an image I was familiar with from our small parish church when I was growing up, and which I always felt an affinity for.”

Gregory praises the icon’s “luminous, spiritual essence,” and says guests to his home are always drawn to it.

“For me personally, it is a window into a deeper spiritual realm,” he said. “It confers a quiet serenity upon the entire room.”

Those watching Dolphens can gain a sense of peace by seeing him mix tempera with the various brilliant pigments.

“When I look at an antique icon with all of that shimmering gold, even though a lot of it’s tarnished, it just speaks to me,” Dolphens said. “When I realize it was in a church or someone’s home — with probably a candle in front of it, and it got tarnished because of the smoke from that candle — it means that it was special to somebody. A person got a lot of meaning out of it. That’s what I hope my icons can do.”

For more information, 816-868-1711 or scotchsam@yahoo.com.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.