Florin and Maricica Bejinari – Art and faith that give life to icons and painted eggs

From Rădăuți, the heart of Bucovina where tradition intertwines with the soul of the people, Florin Bejinari and his wife, Maricica, have transformed painting into a true-life mission. For over two decades, the two have been creating together, with painstaking and patience, works that carry within them not only the beauty of art, but also the faith, emotion and story of the place they come from.

Florin Bejinari, born on January 21, 1961, in Rădăuți, is an icon painter, but his talent is not limited to icons. Over time, he has also explored painting on goose and ostrich eggs, naive painting, portraits and decorative compositions with the same passion. “I paint almost anything,” says the artist, but each work has a common thread: the desire to convey emotion and bring beauty into people’s lives.

His technique combines Byzantine tradition with elements of personal innovation. In addition to icons on wood, he managed to extend Byzantine painting onto the fragile eggshell, creating true artistic jewels. Many of his works are adorned with gold leaf, which gives them a special light and a delicacy that captivates the eye. In his hands, a simple egg turns into a window to the sacred and to the Bucovina tradition of painting.

Over the years, Florin and Maricica have taken this art to international stages. Their exhibitions have been hosted in Paris (2002), Venice (2007), Augsburg (2009, at the invitation of the Suceava County Council), the European Parliament in Brussels (2010), but also in numerous fairs and exhibitions in Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Portugal and Italy. Their work was rewarded with important awards, including the Grand Prix at the Annual Salon of Amateur Plastic Artists in Suceava (2016) and the Third Prize at SIAN, Bucharest (2017).

But beyond diplomas and trophies, their greatest joy is meeting people. At the folk crafts fairs in the country, Florin and Maricica are always close to the public, telling stories, sharing the secrets of the craft and creating friendships with other artists. “Every egg, every icon, every portrait has a soul. When I paint, I don’t just make an object, I give life to a story,” the artist confesses.

Through their works, the Bejinaris have managed to carry forward the tradition of their native place and make it known throughout the world. They don’t just keep an art alive, but reinvent it, putting a dash of faith and a dash of the beauty of Bucovina into each creation.