True Fresco Workshop with Philip Davydov

St. Mary's Sacred Arts students had a rare opportunity to learn the techniques of true fresco painting when Philip Davydov recently visited Calgary from St. Petersburg.  Philip spent two full days preparing the materials for the workshop.  The biggest challenge was finding the quicklime at the right stage of processing needed for  fresco painting.  After many phone calls we were able to find a source at the Graymount plant in Exshaw.  Pat Burchnall graciously drove Philip to the plant, where the staff provided two bags of quicklime at no charge.

Students then spent three full days learning to apply the plaster, mix pigments, and applying the paint directly on to the plaster while it was still wet.  Each student completed two images.   The fresco workshop was held in the new art studio space created specifically for the St. Mary's Sacred Art Program.  Here are some examples of the student's work.

Photos from David Clayton's Gothic Illumination Workshop

In July, we were pleased to welcome David Clayton to Calgary to teach a workshop on gothic style illumination.  David led students in a study of the English gothic style of illumination that is often described as the school of St. Albans.  Its leading artist in the 13th century was a monk called Matthew Paris.  Images in this style can be found in the Westminster Psalter which served as an inspiration for the contemporary St. John's Bible.  David's workshop focused on having the students develop their own drawing of a traditional image and then painting it in egg tempera.  You can follow David's work and thoughts on the renewal of Sacred Art on his excellent blog, Way of Beauty


 Below are some examples of the work of the students completed during David's workshop.

Highlights from the Guilding Workshop With Peter Murphy

In May Peter Murphy traveled from England to lead a workshop on iconography, focusing particularly on water gilding.  This is a technique that is difficult to master, but can be produce stunning results.   Once the students had applied the clay bole and gold leaf, the students were thrilled to see the brilliant shine as they burnished the gold at the end of the second day.  It was amazing to see how the gold transformed the icon.

Students were impressed with the gentle and kind spirit with which Peter taught and his wealth of historical and technical knowledge.Throughout the workshop he was very generous in sharing his knowledge and resources.

We are hoping that Peter can return to Calgary in July 2015 to teach an iconography workshop focusing on gesso panel making.

If you want to keep track of Peter's new work, check our his website:  www.petermurphyicons.co.uk 

    

New Book on Icons by Aidan Hart

Aidan Hart, who taught an iconography workshop in Calgary last May, has announced the publication of a new book on icons.

Entitled, Beauty,  Spirit,  Matter: Icons in the Modern World, here is what the publishers webpage says about the book:

Sacred Icons, images of God made man and man made God, have never ceased to be an integral part of Orthodox Christian cultures, but it is only now, after centuries of absence, that they are becoming understood again in the west.  The attraction of their strange beauty and mystery is ultimately rooted in the fact that icons resonate with our innermost being as creatures of both spirit and matter.

As there are numerous excellent books about the theology and the liturgical use of icons, this volume concentrates on the broader implications of the icon’s theology for our lives in the twenty-first century; exploring the insight that icons give to such contemporary issues as ecology, the relationship between sacred art and culture or that between scientific knowledge and spiritual knowledge, the role of our bodies in the spiritual life and the nature of beauty.

Those that took Aidan's workshop will remember his humble spirit and the deeply spiritual approach that he takes to his art.   I am sure that this new book will be full of deep insights and inspiration.  The book is 288 pages long with 32 colour plates and Gracewing has priced it  at the amazingly low price of  £14.99  

The St. Mary's University College bookstore will be ordering 20 copies of the book as soon as it is available from the publisher as well as additional copies of Aidan's earlier book.  Hopefully these will be in stock for those attending this spring and summer's workshops to purchase. 

Icon Painting As a Living Tradition

The online journal, Orthodox Arts Journal, has just published an excellent and wide ranging interview with the Russian iconographers Philip Davydov and his wife, Olga Shalamova.  Local iconographers will remember the excellent workshop they led in Calgary several years ago.  Their icons are deeply rooted in the Russian and Byzantine tradition but also have a contemporary freshness and vitality about them.

Christ Appearing to the Myrrh Bearers by Philip Davydov (2013)

In their interview Philip and Olga discuss the training necessary to become an iconographer, their theological understanding of iconography, and the direction that iconography is heading today.  As Philip states:  "...iconography is no more pure craftsmanship or art, but true theology in colors."  Just click on the link above and read the full interview.  You will find it well worth the read.

Nativity of Christ by Olga Shalamova (2013)

We are pleased that Philip has agreed to come to Calgary in early September to teach a special 3 day workshop on true fresco painting.  More details about this workshop will be posted soon.  We are looking forward to the chance to learn more from him.

The Art of Illumination in the Gothic Style: A Workshop Taught by David Clayton

St. Mary's University College will be hosting a workshop in July with the artist and writer, David Clayton. 

The workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of developing an illuminated image based on the English gothic style often described as the School of St. Albans. Its leading artist in the 13^th century was a Benedictine monk called Matthew Paris. Using images from medieval manuscripts such as the Westminster Psalter, students will learn to develop their own drawing and transfer the image to high quality watercolour paper or vellum.  Students will then learn to mix their own pigments and paint the images using the traditional medieval technique of egg tempera.

N.B. This course will be suitable to both beginners who wish to learn the medieval technique of egg tempera painting and to advanced students who wish to become more proficient in developing their own drawings from ancient manuscripts and develop their painting skills.

Instructor:  David Clayton is an internationally recognized artist, writer, and broadcaster.   His artistic training includes the sacred art tradition of Byzantine iconography (with Aidan Hart) as well as portrait painting in the Western realist tradition, which he studied in a traditional atelier in Florence, Italy. 

After beginning his artist career in England, David moved to New Hampshire to become the Artist-in-Residence at Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts.  He has completed a number of commissions including for the London Oratory, Pluscarden Monastery, Scotland, and the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham.  David also produced and presented a 13 part TV series about traditional art and Catholic culture entitled The Way of Beauty.   He also edits a popular blog by the same name.

Schedule:  July 14-18, 2014. Daily classes begin at 9 am. 

Hours:  35 hours

Tuition: $550 plus GST.
Location: St. Mary’s University College

In order to maintain the close one-on-one nature of instruction, enrolment will be limited. Tuition is due at the time of registration.  Students may cancel their registration and receive a refund (minus a $50 administration fee) up to 7 days prior to the beginning of the course.  After this date, no refunds are given for cancellation. 

For registration information contact 403-531-9130 or sacredarts@stmu.ca

Fr. Damian Writes a New Icon of St. Stephen

When it was announced last spring that Fr. Peter Babej would be moving to Edmonton, the parishioners of St. Stephen's Ukrainian Catholic Church decided to commission an icon as token of their appreciation of his years of service. Fr. Damian Higgins, who has taught iconography workshops in Calgary previously, was commissioned to write a new icon of St. Stephen for the occasion

The new icon is a good example of how an icon on a traditional theme can be adapted to a particular situation.  On the one hand, Fr. Damian draws on traditional iconographic images of St. Stephen.  At the same time, he adds new elements which contextualizes the icon.

In his left hand St. Stephen is holding a minature replicate of the St Stephen's Ukranian Catholic Church in Calgary.  In the background you can see the Rocky Mountains with flowing rivers below them.  In the grassy area at bottom of the icon, Fr. Damian has included the Alberta wild rose.  He is also included the names of the Babej family.

This is a great example of how a new icon can be written which adheres closely to the canonical tradition of icons of a particular saint while including sufficient contemporary and localized elements to make it relevant and meaningful to a current community event.  This is certainly what is meant when iconography is referred to as a "living tradition."

Workshop on Painting in the Style of Caravaggio

Martinho Correia just completed his second oil painting workshop for the Sacred Arts program at St. Mary's University College.  This winter's theme was on painting in the style of Caravaggio.  Students were introduced to the techniques used by Caravaggio to create his dramatic and distinctive style of painting.

During the six Saturdays that the workshop met, each student worked on a copy of one of Caravaggio's masterpieces. Here are a few photos from the workshop.  To learn more about Caravaggio check out Martinho's recent entries on his blog Off the Coast of Utopia.

Martinho plans to return for another workshop in the spring of 2015.