Experts were eager to find our more. While some started digging up the archives, others went to Kenozero to explore its other churches and chapels, hoping to find icons and "skies" that could give them a clue. Iok turned out a prolific icon painter, having painted also the "skies" in the chapels in Karpova, Vershka, Minina, and Berezhnaya Dubrova. His second message was found on an icon: together with his signature Iok indicated the amount of money he received for his work.
Those who worked in the archives found out that Fedor Iok lived in the second half of the 19th century in the village of Konevo. As a teenager, he studied art in St. Petersburg. His name appears among the select group of icon-painters employed by the craft guild. So, what Fedor Iok wrote on his "sky" in Ust'-Pocha was true: he painted it at the age of 17!
Iok's style was naïve, but he had the talent. He continued to be asked by villagers to paint for them. One thing remained unclear: all of Iok "skies" and icons were painted in his younger years.
One archived document – Iok's personal file in the rural post office – helped to shed more light. The records read Iok applied for the job of a postman because he was broke and had seven children to support. He passed away in 1922. Why he signed his "skies" is a mystery he had taken with him.