Under the aegis of St. Theodore the Studite Art Studio, St. Tikhon’s Monastery
Workshop coordinator: Fr. Paul (Stetsenko)
Video of Fr. Paul creating an icon: https://youtu.be/rvmx0NTxyWI?si=JbpU9F0eUtv9qWm4
Please note: any artist level is welcome / must be over 18 years old
*Also please email us if you are local to the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area & do not need room & board. Price for local artists is $450 for the workshop.*
Cost includes room in seminary dorms & food during the workshop. ONLY 10 SPOTS AVAILABLE
This five-day intensive workshop (Sunday evening through Saturday morning) explores both traditional and contemporary approaches to egg tempera icon painting. Open to participants of all levels, the course focuses on painting the head of Christ, with instruction tailored to experience: beginners may work from prepared drawings; intermediate students will construct their own sing the “scaffold” method; and advanced participants may choose to work from historical prototypes.
The workshop combines short lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practice. Participants will learn essential egg tempera techniques, including paint preparation and tempering, brushwork, glazing and scumbling, and the use of a glass palette and palette knife. Contemporary materials and methods will also be introduced. Central to the course are the principles of developing form from local color and an introduction to the Value Triad with Chroma Anchor—a structured approach to color design that promotes clarity, focus, and visual hierarchy.
Instruction covers the complete icon painting process: gesso preparation, drawing and transfer, color blocking, and the development of form through blocking, layering, scumbling, and glazing. Special attention is given to modeling garments and flesh, handling light and shadow, and achieving controlled transitions in color and value.
Participants will also have the opportunity to attend daily liturgy in the morning and
Vespers/Matins in the evening.
