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Since his childhood he had been drawn to the images of ancient Christian art that he saw in museums and churches. As he grew older the mystical and philosophical aspects of Christian teaching revealed by this art became more and more the focus of his interest.
Andrew and his wife, [[Matushka]] Galina, who embroiders [[icon]]s, immigrated to America in 1975, and the following year Andrew entered [[St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Crestwood, New York)|St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary]] in Crestwood, New York. At St. Vladimir's Seminary he had the opportunity to study with such famous teachers as professor [[Sergei Sergeevich Verhovskoy|Serge Verhovskoy]], Rev. [[John Meyendorff]], and most especially Rev. [[Alexander Schmemann]], an internationally renowned scholar and important leader of the Orthodox Church in America.
Studying the theory and history of iconography at St. Vladimir's, Andrew began to convert his artistic skills into the practical work of writing icons. In the absence of reputable schools of iconography, he gathered knowledge of various techniques and styles from a number of well-known professional iconographers, especially [[Leonid Alexandrovich Ouspensky|Leonid Ouspensky]], Maria Struve, and Elizabeth Osolin, all from Paris, France.
