Iconography & Liturgical Art

Monday 12th – Wednesday 14th February 2024

As part of the development of a diverse programme of teaching on Liturgical Art and Iconography The BVMSD Studio of Christian Art is delighted to offer students and Iconography enthusiasts the opportunity to learn how to create Icon boards and how to become adept at making and applying Gesso to create boards suitable for the writing of Icons in the egg tempera technic & tradition.

This course will be taught by the highly the skilled craftsman of HANDSKILL workshops, who in the last 15 years have produced well over 2000 Icon Boards, some of which currently hang in the Vatican bearing Icons written by Aidan Hart.

There are only 10 spaces available, places reserved with a £100 non-refundable deposit.

This Icon panel workshop is over 3 days

– Monday 12th February 12:30pm – 5pm

Tuesday 13th February 9am-5pm

– Wednesday 14th February 9am – 12:30pm

You will learn how to prime bare boards and apply linen. How to make and apply Gesso, using whiting and rabbit skin glue.

Students will work on 4 flat, Marine ply boards which you will take home. You will learn to work independently on your boards and to understand the differences in sanding grades relevant to your project. Full details of the tools provided and those that students need to bring, will be provided.

Monday 27th – Friday 31st May 2024

This 5-day course is suitable for beginners and students of higher levels of ability, no previous artistic experience is required. This course is designed to introduce students to the history of Byzantine art as well as the spirituality of this sacred tradition.

Irina teaches a liquid tempera technique, which is rare. She uses the best pigments, both earth and mineral and 24 carat genuine gold leaf. She teaches gilding and shell gold making as part of the course. 

The aim of this course is to finish a small icon. Returning students can bring any of their icons to carry on working on them. Irina will also be demonstrating raised gesso technique. The students will have a choice either to paint an icon or to create a raised gesso pattern and to gild it. Students can bring more than one icon, but will be charged extra, please consult with Irina before the course.

Dr Irina Bradley graduated with a doctorate in icon painting and philosophy from the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, where she is a visiting tutor for their Master of Arts and the general public. She studied icon painting in Italy, Russia and Ukraine. Her work hangs in churches and private collections around the world, including Australia, Japan and the USA. Her work was featured on BBC’s Songs of Praise and the American TV programme, Artful. She has exhibited extensively in the UK, including Buckingham Palace in 2018 at the Prince and Patron Exhibition. For Irina icon painting is a prayer, as she teaches students to paint an icon she prays for all of them, irrespective of religion and nationality. There are many returning students who have been coming to her classes for years and travel to the UK from as far as Hong Kong, Australia and the USA.

For details and to reserve your place on the courses with a £100 non-refundable deposit, please contact us on 0208 194 2320 or by email to info@benedictine-institute.org

© Ealing Abbey, CC 18th December 2023