The kneeling iconographer wielded a mahl stick to steady his brush and protect the surface of the painting he endeavored to restore.
He carefully but confidently added facial highlights to the image of St. Damian gracing one wall of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church in Butte.
He paused, stood back and studied the results from his perch atop scaffolding. He tapped the mahl stick rhythmically in his open left palm.
Shayne Swenson works to restore frescoes inside the Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Church in Butte.
