St Dismas the Good Thief: A Small Portable Icon

Here you see handmade claybords that I've saved- often scraps of larger ones that were resized to fit a custom sized commission. These are good for when someone requests a smallish item such as the one below. In a miniature presentation, details will be necessarily lost, nonetheless it will be delightful just the same and easy to transport!  The claybord selected will be given a final sanding and after the writing can begin in January.

Eden's locked gates the Thief has opened wide, By putting in the key, "Remember me."

In the Russian tradition, the Good Thief's name is "Rakh".

Only the Gospel of Luke describes one of the thieves as penitent, and that gospel does not name him. Luke's unnamed penitent thief was later assigned the name Dismas in the Gospel of Nicodemus, portions of which may be dated to the fourth century. The name "Dismas" was adapted from a Greek word meaning "sunset" or "death". The other thief's name is given as Gestas.
Anne Catherine Emmerich saw the Holy Family "exhausted and helpless"; according to Augustine of Hippo and Peter Damian, the Holy Family met Dismas, in these circumstances. Pope Theophilus of Alexandria (385–412) wrote a Homily on the Crucifixion and the Good Thief, which is a classic of Coptic literature.
In Coptic Orthodoxy, he is named Demas. This is the name given to him in the Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea. In the Russian tradition, the Good Thief's name is "Rakh".

Eastern and Orthodox Churches remember him on Good Friday, along with the crucifixion. The Catholic Church remembers the Good Thief on March 25  which is the same day as the Solemnity of the Annunciation and is a compelling a reminder of Christ’s conception and another of his death.

St Anselm of Canterbury (1033- 1109) wrote a letter to his sisters about St Dismas meeting the Holy Family while they were fleeing into Egypt. I've copied the popular story below and you can find other versions of it online.

My 2020 Flight Into Egypt Painting

Currently in Progress: