George Danevski: One of a Kind!
By David Edenden: If anyone is visiting the Toronto area, then a visit to St. Dimitrija Solunski Macedonian Orthodox Church in Markham or St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Church in Toronto is a must see. Danevski is a real treasure.
Every day, Georgi Danevski adds an angel to the architecture.
Sometimes, it's an entire chorus. Or a saint, a child, a scene. Little by little, he's filling St. Dimitrija Solunski Macedonian Orthodox Church in Markham with his own creation.
And by the time Danevski's mural is done, at 600 square metres, it could be the largest of its kind in North America.
"I make it with love for God, with love for my people and with love for every human," he says, his thick accent betraying Macedonian roots.
So far, it has taken the artist two years to deck these walls and ceilings with some 500 icons of Christian history. There's John the Baptist, Mother Mary and Jesus among scores of saints from the Orthodox tradition – all surrounded in gleaming 24-carat gold leaf.
With about 500 more to go.
Indeed, the mural may not even be ready by next Easter. But the congregation that helped pay for the massive one-man undertaking revels in a little more of his divine design every time they come to worship.
And while Danevski paints his poetry, Shelley Richardson is drawing inspiration. "I come here to meditate," says the local author, sitting alone in the pews. "The energy is just phenomenal coming from this artist."
In fact, Richardson was inspired to begin a work about the artist's life, tentatively titled Danevski, Master of Canvas, Murals and Life.
"I feel so blessed, in my lifetime, to see the process. That is what's so phenomenal to me."
It's a process as painstaking as it is consuming. Danevski spends six days a week here, commuting from his Toronto home to work long hours. Once home, his head is still whirring with sketches and images, often keeping him awake until 4 a.m.
By 6:30 a.m., his pilgrimage begins again.
The artist's work may be better known in Europe, where he has made much of his mark, but Danevski is coming into his own here with venues like the National Art Gallery in Ottawa planning exhibits of his work.
Danevski, who recently sold one of his paintings for $27,000, gets a little busier around Easter, with churches as far as Montreal vying for his services. He has also painted a vivid mural at St. Clement of Ohrid Orthodox Cathedral in East York.
In the flesh, the painter is as magnetic as the masterpiece that looms above him, rhyming off the lives of saints, pointing an paint-stained finger at scenes and drawing attention to the minutest details.
But there's much work to do. After all, there are white walls, 10 metres tall, still clamouring for colour. To reach every nook, Danevski relies on scaffolding – and help from a local man who volunteers his time to watch over the artist when he gets into precarious positions.
"He's a bionic man," Danevski says. "He has an aorta from Texas. Everything, he gives to community and church."
And while Danevski won't divulge the details, he has repaid his selfless assistant in paint.
You see, somewhere in that sea of saints, there's an image of another kind of angel.
A guardian angel.
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