amni_jane

Mary Jane Miller, Contemporary Iconographer and teacher. Workshops and Silent retreats in Mexico and the US. Books on Icon Painting Technique, A Meditation and guide to icon painting.
sanmiguelicons.com
sacrediconretreat.com
www.millericons.com

amni_jane

Be Still

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amni_jane

Those in Authority and those who comment

Be Kind for God's. What needs to be said in times of division and cruelty. We just finished the passion of Christ,
who walked to his own death without words or resistance. Can we not take his example and be loving of that which persecutes the soul? Endure because God is the beginning and end of everything and every hair on your head. Humans have a point of view and God has VIEW.

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amni_jane

Women icon painters, mystics, and healers were seldom heard of in the days of the early church and were often silenced. Today they are speaking. Icons are created through meditation and prayer to tap into and develop the spirit of being fully alive. As a modern Byzantine-style icon painter, Miller joins her voice to other contemporary iconographers who speak and create. NEXT WORKSHOPS- Posted
Workshops | Misitio

millericons.com

Workshops | Misitio

Icon Painting Workshop in Egg Tempera
​​​​​
WORKSHOPS 2026

In my STUDIO
San Miguel Allende
August 17 to 21, 2026
November 9 to 13, 2026
April 12 to 16, 2027
​in the studio 9 am to 3 pm each day
millericons@gmail.com
Cost 420.00





Monastery of the Soledad,
in Atotonilco, San Miguel Allende

August 2 to 7 2026
5 day silent workshop, 4 nights,
and meals included
Cost 580.00
​​​








If your Church, Retreat Center, or Monastery would like to sponsor a workshop please let us know.
Monday through Friday
9 am till 3 pm each day
Cost per participant 495.00 USD













Icon Painting imagery is structured by lines, color values, shapes, textures, space, and movement. There is a world beyond straight lines and curves, yellow for the sun, green for the grass, red for roses, etc. The earth's abundance and diversity can be found in tiny colored particles that make up egg tempera paint. We use it to create divine images.

Egg Tempera Painting
uses fine ground …

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amni_jane

Have you been changed?
Do you feel the spirit of Christ within?
Can you love as He has Loved, without reserve of restraint?
Be at Peace, He is The great example.

sanmiguelicons.com

Home - San Miguel Icons

San Miguel Icons
Contemporary Iconography by Mary Jane Miller
Women in Iconography break the rules sometimes but they conform to ancient principles.
San Miguel Icons, a collection of contemporary sacred art.
Latest Posts
It is mesmerizing to gaze up at the sky and realize the blue mirrors the oceans below. From space, our planet glows blue, a shimmering testament to the rare conditions that gifted us Sacred Water.
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Ash Wednesday has passed and our 40-day Lenten season has begun, hopefully with an open and attentive mind. Christians renew themselves by collectively celebrating our spiritual birthday on Ash Wednesday and reaffirming our vows as
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Many times over the past 40 years, I have drifted off the path, thinking there might be another way, in another church, or a new knowledge with a new priest. I would get inspired by
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Icon Painting
Mary Jane Miller has adopted an lifestyle dedicated to icon painting or icon writing. The Practice is a discipline of …

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amni_jane

Let us always be aware of where we place our minds and the treasure.
Believe in good, see the abundance of life, and be at peace in the wonder of God!

millericons.com

Icon painting technique | Mary Jane Miller Icons | Guanajuato

Mary Jane Miller has been steeped in the byzantine style egg tempera icon painting tradition since 1980. It is not easy to be driven by something you can’t see, to become completely absorbed by a desire you’re afraid to follow or ignore. In her studio, painting, patience and prayer are the every day format. Iconographers live and work in a sort of double dimension where time and space are distorted, image and content change reality, and solitude speaks volumes. Miller and her spouse Valentin Gomez, are both self-taught and have been quietly working together for 25 years... Workshops...
Valentin works in the repoussé technique and I design and paint. Living in Mexico, our dream is to add a few more icons to those existing in the world, hoping that this great sacred art tradition will continue in liturgy and prayer for a long time to come. The technique and egg tempera medium enabled us to realize something quite intimate about God, that is, “we create as we are created”. In their hearts …

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amni_jane

Her name Mary means, ‘Bearer of the Light’
and Magdalena means ‘Elevated, great, magnificent.’ Her feast day has been celebrated since about the year 720 on July 22nd in both Eastern and Western church as and still is today. Her
identity still remains in debate yet honored leaving her as a commendable “sinful woman.” My book uses sections from the original Mary Gospel text as a springboard for the following collection of images. The Gnostic text is rich in imagery and some uncommon wording inspired many reflections. The stories are fresh
and delightful which often deviate from the orthodox norm. As I was looking for women represented in iconography, part of what I discovered was the fact that there are so few with women in them. If we are to transcribe icons by duplicating only the originals where will we find inspiration and biblical text for the representation of women?
From MY book In Light of Women
lulu.com/…/in-light-of- …

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amni_jane

A Samaritan Woman named Photini is Flirting with …

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amni_jane

first station, Jesus is condemned... Stations of the Cross read along with an image to assist the focus.. Beautiful Book available. In English or Spanish.
Stations of the Cross

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amni_jane

Stations of the Cross read along with an image to assist the focus.. Beautiful Book available. In English or Spanish.
Stations of the Cross

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amni_jane

Workshop begins March 8th to 13th Join Us

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amni_jane

UNTIL YOUR “PAINTING”, I NEVER SAW MAGDALENE REPRESENTED AS A BISHOP OF THE CHURCH
St Mary Magdalene was indeed “sent” by the Lord to proclaim His resurrection. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent”. Our Lord sent the 12 Apostles, so too St Mary is sent to proclaim the resurrection to the Apostles. The Church called her: “apostle to the Apostles” and styled her without authority. Because of her “apostolic” zeal, the Church has given her the title of “EQUAL to the Apostles,” but not “Apostle.”
Mary Jane’s response: The Church stylized her as the apostle Equal to the Apostles. Her zeal is obvious from the biblical text, she shows no fear of Death. She is a dedicated disciple when she goes to the tomb to look for her beloved teacher. She needs to be recognized as an authority, a mystic, healer, and teacher (despite her being a woman).
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sanmiguelicons.com

WHO Defines MARY MAGDALENE as a MYSTIC, APOSTLE, AND DISCIPLE ? - San Miguel Icons

What would Jesus think of this image of his friend being portrayed as a church theologian or bishop? She was a Disciple and Apostle of Christ. I have represented her in priestly robes, with crosses on her omophorion. But Who defines Mary Magdalene as a mystic, apostle, and disciple, saying we cannot give her this identity and mission. Nineteen hundred years ago, those in authority did not give Mary Magdalene any priestly rank, she was a woman and follower of Christ in a Jewish society.
WHO DEFINES AND PROTECTS WHAT HISTORY SAYS CAN NEVER CHANGE?
Spiritual women need to have space to rediscover and honor Mary Magdalene and others like her. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan at the well is the longest discussion Jesus had with anyone in the bible. Why is that story not used to show his mercy and love for women, His time and attention in teaching them, and His desire to seek their company? Instead, this encounter is often more about how many wives she had and what a sinner she was. It is …

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amni_jane

The best icons can communicate to any modern-day viewer a moment of stillness that can bring about comfort, revelation, connection or healing.
Workshops - Sacred Icon Retreat

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amni_jane

Her books about iconography are all found on Amazon but please also support the smaller companies like LULU. Thank you. Her Byzantine style icon painting visually echoes and advances the many of the arguments of feminist theologians and biblical critics of today. Miller conveys though her books on iconography her feminist arguments with passion and ingenuity, offering a critique of the position of women in the historical church.
sacrediconretreat.com/books-on-iconography/

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amni_jane

I have painted for decades and have a large collection waiting to be seen. With age, I have found writing to be another dimension, as I try to put into words the love and joy that have manifested in me through paint. Years of dedication to this tradition and struggling with its very tight canons and prescribed discipline have been so exciting. My personality is sometimes in conflict with what one would expect of the pious, deliberate intentions of those living in a religious community. However, working independently gives you freedom and insights that seem to come from pure inspiration lurking on the fringes of tradition.
Some have called me a neo-iconographer, or a mystic without a monastery. I have been self-taught with a lot of help from God, images from a large collection of beautiful books, and always inspired by women iconographers. I feel as if something has always been watching me and guiding me. I surprise myself by showing up every day in the studio to be present to a tradition …More

sanmiguelicons.com

Inspired by Women Iconographers - San Miguel Icons

Miller is inspired by women iconographers, who she says could be holding the means for how sacred iconography will survive. She is challenged and fascinated by the icon’s intrinsic and mystical elements. Imagine, two hundred years ago, women could not paint icons. Today, those who are graced with the desire to paint sacred text have an obligation as prayer practitioners to re-examine how or why women were not mentioned in the great feast days like Pentecost, at the Last Supper, or the Baptism of Christ, etc. It is not God’s commandment that they are not heard of in text or seen in a sacred image. Women around the world have assumed, of course, we were there. When the feminine voice and new icon images are ushered into today’s church communities, the addition will benefit us all and balance more than just the gender issue.
Heretics are largely called heretics because they question the authority of our accepted norms. Am I one? During the Inquisition, one million named heretics were …

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amni_jane

Mary, the mother of God

The message from Mary can be explained in three classic icons:
The Sign, where she is given the revelation of Christ in her being, Mary of Tenderness, nurtures this creation, as we all care for what we create.
Hodeguitria, she releases her creation to the world.
Humanity is learning that nothing is ours; it is all borrowed.
Let Go and Love God. Icon painting technique | Mary Jane Miller Icons …

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amni_jane

Down to Earth Outreach..... Our Earth is a volume of Love Given, lets us reflect on our behavior towards that which we did not create.

millericons.com

Icon painting technique | Mary Jane Miller Icons | Guanajuato

Mary Jane Miller has been steeped in the byzantine style egg tempera icon painting tradition since 1980. It is not easy to be driven by something you can’t see, to become completely absorbed by a desire you’re afraid to follow or ignore. In her studio, painting, patience and prayer are the every day format. Iconographers live and work in a sort of double dimension where time and space are distorted, image and content change reality, and solitude speaks volumes. Miller and her spouse Valentin Gomez, are both self-taught and have been quietly working together for 25 years... Workshops...
Valentin works in the repoussé technique and I design and paint. Living in Mexico, our dream is to add a few more icons to those existing in the world, hoping that this great sacred art tradition will continue in liturgy and prayer for a long time to come. The technique and egg tempera medium enabled us to realize something quite intimate about God, that is, “we create as we are created”. In their hearts …

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amni_jane

Motherhood requires a God given detachment and surrender to the unknowable greatness that life presents. Mary is flesh that gives birth to spirit. Similarly, as a result of our physical birth, we are within the realms of both flesh and spirit. We create flesh out of thought, and in our fleshly existence, we have that miraculous ability to experience spirit. The Mary icon is the window through which we can contemplate this revelation. In her, a new humanity is born, the Christ who is all flesh and spirit and lives in and through both states of being without division.

sanmiguelicons.com

Intro to Mary, the Mother of Jesus - San Miguel Icons

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, imagery began in the 2nd century Catacombs of Priscilla, and continued to change for 1,000 years, and continues till today. Early mystics, desert monks, and ascetics all loved contemplating Mary. In theological terms, her significance has been altered and expanded over centuries. I would suggest that everyone has an understanding of who they think Mary and Christ are. The journey for us begins with watching how and why it changes over a lifetime.
Motherhood requires a God given detachment and surrender to the unknowable greatness that life presents. Mary is flesh that gives birth to spirit. Similarly, as a result of our physical birth, we are within the realms of both flesh and spirit. We create flesh out of thought, and in our fleshly existence, we have that miraculous ability to experience spirit. The Mary icon is the window through which we can contemplate this revelation. In her, a new humanity is born, the Christ who is all flesh and spirit and lives in …

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amni_jane

Amazon.com
No more weapons of destruction. Why are we fighting, let us pray.....
Ancient prayer traditions and contemplation have been passed from generation to generation and are still alive today. Recitations of love and reflection, alone or in a group, are powerful, they nurture the soul, fuel the heart, and uplift the spirit. We focus a great deal on human needs, the sick, isolated, aged, imprisoned, and in peril. It may be prudent to add our devotion and respect for God’s plan revealed on Earth. Our contemporary society does not allow us time to pause long enough to appreciate our delicate, at times imperceptible relationship to the natural order that surrounds us.
Prayers for Mother Earth is 72 pages designed as a resource and guide, to focus the mind and heart on one another and Mother Earth as she speaks back to us. In an age of great fear and anxiety, the book is meant as a tool to help us slow down and reflect on how we have participated in the crisis we are in, our consumerism …More

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amni_jane

millericons.com/…mage from Traditional Theology; …
Mary Jane Miller’s book about one Woman’s Journey with Contemporary iconography is a provocative addition to the growing body of work (both image and text). Her images extend the reach of the icon beyond the boundaries of the Orthodox tradition. This collection was created by a women iconographer in Mexico. She offers a selection of her icons arranged in three chapters: Mary Icons – The Most Popular through the Ages; The Gospel of Mary Magdalene – Icons Inspired by the Gnostic Text and Creative Insights and Image from Traditional Theology; and Feminine Voice.

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