Mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of our Sacred Arts Institute. One of the most depicted saints in Orthodox icons and western religious art, his popularity attests to his powerful intercession and protection against all forms of evil.
This workshop’s prototype is a fourteenth-century icon kept at the Byzantine Museum of Athens. You will create a shoulder-length copy of the face, wings, and upper robe on a flat 8” x 10” gessoed wood panel. After making a careful drawing in ink, you will make your own paint by mixing egg yolks with natural pigments. The process will parallel the model’s historical technique step by step, applying color in several successively brighter layers.
A challenge in this icon is identifying the subtle underlying organization of the hair and repeating the rhythmic parallel groupings with finely painted calligraphic lines. More challenging is illuminating the youthful face with softly blended transparent passages of tone, reaching full opacity in the brightest areas. Each brushstroke will be accompanied by the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
All materials and tools needed to complete an icon are provided. You should arrive with basic brush skills, a familiarity with the color wheel, and some experience mixing colors.
This week-long workshop’s studio time lasts five consecutive days. Check-in begins Sunday night at 4:30. Dinner is served at 5:30 pm for students and instructors. Dinner is followed by a workshop introduction and conference, which ends at 9:00 pm. Hands-on instruction begins early Monday morning. The last meal is lunch on Friday. The art studio will be available Friday afternoon to complete your icon.
