Painters anonymous.

WHEN CHARLES ROHRBACHER'S GRANDMOTHER died in 1975, he discovered something surprising in her room that offered a glimmer of what his future held. A picture of Christ--an icon--was right by her bed with a rosary lying on top. Rohrbacher had painted it for his grandmother when he was a kid. "She prayed with it for years," he says. "And I had completely forgotten about it."

At a time when he was trying to find his way as an artist, it got Rohrbacher thinking about the connection between art and faith.

Other experiences helped pave the way to his eventual artistic calling: After Archbishop Oscar Romero's assassination in El Salvador in 1980, Rohrbacher attended a memorial Mass. Someone had drawn a picture of Romero, and mourners had placed candles in front of it. He reflected on the connection between presence and image. "They killed him, but he was still present with us through the power of Christ. And that very simple image made his presence visible."

Soon after, while at a Russian Orthodox church with a friend, Rohrbacher looked up at the frescoes covering the walls and finally heard his calling. "I thought, 'This is what I've been called to do my whole life.' Only I didn't know anything about icons."

So he traveled to New York and Paris to learn technical skills like painting with egg tempera (pigments mixed with egg yolk and water) on wood. He also learned the theological and sacramental dimensions of icon painting. "It comes from the heart of our tradition of prayer and celebrating the Word," he says, pointing out that in 787 the Second Council of Nicaea called icons "the Word of God in line and color." Today Rohrbacher's icons are in Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches along the West Coast.

While Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics have always venerated icons, recent decades have seen a surge of interest from Western Christians, who have been praying with, painting, and appreciating them, too. Twelve years ago Rohrbacher helped start a summer institute for aspiring icon painters at Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. In 2000 he handed the program over to two of his former students.

By their nature, icons are not about the painter. Self-expression has little place in the tradition--icon painters don't even sign their work (hence, Rohrbacher considers "Anonymous" one of his favorite artists). "Many artists would find that quite constraining," he says. "There are lots of ways to glorify God in art--but painting icons has a particular spirituality that comes with it."

That spirituality draws heavily on monastic life because icon painters traditionally were monks. When preparing to start a new icon, Rohrbacher typically celebrates the sacrament of Reconciliation, goes to Mass, and receives Communion. Silence and fasting can help, too.

"And then I pray, mostly so all the distractions going through my head are calmed." But that doesn't mean he's constantly saying the rosary or the Jesus prayer--although they, too, can be helpful. "The reason for those practices are to enable yourself to lift your mind and heart to God," he says. "It's not to make you worthy. It's not about you at all, but about the one whose image is being painted."

ROHRBACHER LEADS A LIFE FAR DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF traditional icon painters. He and his wife, Paula, have two children: Phoebe, 19, and Miguel, 12. He works as the director of religious education at the Cathedral parish in Juneau, Alaska. "I've always painted icons in the context of washing dishes and changing diapers and going to work," he says. "When I'm painting I'm usually by myself, so working with kids and adults is really grounding. The two go together well."

He thinks of his painting--much like his day job--as an act of service: "I try to remember that it's not for me, it's for the people who are going to be using it."

One of Rohrbacher's favorite subjects is Mary holding Jesus in the tomb, often called "Do not weep for me, Mother." He's painted it for places that minister to people with AIDS. "It's gratifying to know that people are using that icon to pray for people with that disease and their loved ones who have died."

CHARLES ROHRBACHER ICON PAINTER JUNEAU, ALASKA

PARISH: Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

FAVORITE SCRIPTURE" The healing of the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46-52)

FAVORITE SAINTS: Mary of Egypt, Benedict, Andre Rublev, Dorothy Day

PERSONAL HERO: My wife, Paula

FAVORITE ARTISTS: Henri Matisse, Paulo Veronese, Anonymous

FAVORITE WEBSITE: www.santegidio.org

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: Reflective, curious, intense

HEATHER GRENNAN GARY, associate editor of U.S. CATHOLIC.