Iconography Institute

We are fortunate to be volunteering during the Iconography Institute. Taught by two women of Greek descent who were trained in France, the institute has been at the monastery for a few years since its move from the Abbey. Mary and Kathy graciously invite us to visit throughout the day the room where the class is working.

Mary explains that icons are written, not painted. They are to be a representation of the spiritual truth of the saint or person. To do this, the iconographers pray and listen to their heart. While each icon is to be a copy of a classical icon of Jesus Christ, we learn that through the prayer process, each icon will also reveal an aspect of the iconographer.

However, there is much work done before the first brush stroke. The geometry of the icon is studied to learn the classical structure of the traditional representation. Several cartoons are prepared of the underpainting to be transferred to the gessoed boards that are the base of the icon. In addition, the beginners learn to apply gesso by preparing the boards for the next year’s class. They learn techniques in selecting pigments and applying the egg tempera, lovingly mixed by hand.