Saint Cyril of Alexandria

Saint Nersess the Great

My Grandmother, my mom and my uncle posed for this illustration.

Saint Gregory the Illuminator

I found some inspiration for my painting of Saint Gregory the illuminator (at top) in this icon from a church.

Armenian History illustrations

For more illustrations from the book New Faith to New World be sure to check out my production blog here.

Historical Illustration

Throughout this project the input and advice of Father Garabed Kochakian Pastor of Saint John Armenian Church was invaluable even when I wasn't able to incorporate all of his suggestions. His knowledge of Armenian art history and church tradition added to the sense of authenticity. Any historical or theological mistakes are my own.

Gregory of Datev

Whenever I was stumped on an illustration I would go back to the text by Nersoyan. Reading and re-reading the stories searching for clues to help me to visualize the scene. Sometimes I would find myself reworking the image. Occasionally, I would end up starting over completely. Usually this would result in a stronger illustration.

This was my first attempt at illustrating the story of Gregory of Tathev a famous teacher.


This is my second take on the subject of Gregory of Tathev which is more historically accurate. It's inspired by this passage in the text-

"The degrees were granted in a special religious ceremony, prepared by Gregory himself, that took place in the church of the monastery. He was the main speaker on these occasions. On one occasion, in the course of an address to the graduating class of dzayragouyn vardapets seated in their special chairs he said: "You know that for a clergyman to sit on a chair during a ceremony is a special privilege and a sign of authority. You have now acquired that privilege. You have authority to preach from one end of the world to the other. "

Stories from the History of the Armenian Church

The original title of the book was Stories from the History of the Armenian Church. For this reprint the title has been updated to the more contemporary New Faith to New World. The subject matter was familiar to me being an Armenian Christian and having attended sunday school at Saint John's Armenian Church in Southfield Michigan for twelve years, however it still required a lot of historical research. This is a painting in gouache of Saint Nersess the gracefull or Shnorhali, a Catholicos who wrote music and hymns for the church in the 1100's. I tried to capture the moment of divine inspiration.