Icon Retreat at St. Paul’s Cathedral, June 22 – 26, 2015

Overnight the Great Hall was transformed from meeting space to sacred place dedicated to the craft of Byzantine iconography. For five days, from morning to evening, 21 students set aside their jobs, their errands and their iPhones, and dedicated their time and attention to their chosen icons under the tutelage of iconographer Teresa Harrison.

Icon writing is a lesson in patience, perseverance, and prayer. Quite literally with icons, the medium is the message yes, but what every budding iconographer learns is that the message is also delivered through the process. It is not the finished product that is the gift, but the journey in creating it.

Worshipping with icons can be traced back to the 4th or 5th centuries. Writing icons is an age-old tradition with its roots in scripture, and St. Luke is historically attributed with writing the first icon (of Mary and Jesus). Writing rather than painting because each stroke of paint is meant to be a spiritual word, a layer of paint like a prayer, time for the layer to dry a time for silent meditation, and each repetition of this process a chapter, measuring out the scripture like beads on a rosary.

My icon was the center of my attention for the week. A fixed point around which the class rotated and metamorphosed from 21 individuals to a community of artists reaching out to one another to congratulate, console or commiserate every morning after we met for the Eucharist, led by the Reverend Charles Rines. During this ‘circle time’ we discussed our own spiritual transformations as the week progressed, or prayed for individual healing, or shared how the class provided context for our spiritual lives.

The typical day then continued with an approximately half-hour art instruction from Teresa. Those of us less experienced chose either the Good Shepherd or the Theotokos (literally, “mother of God” and the baby Jesus) to facilitate our instruction both amongst ourselves in small groups, and with Teresa. More experienced iconographers selected an icon of their choosing. It was wonderful to observe these talented people. While the very nature of icon writing is to represent a holy image faithful to color and pose prescribed by centuries of tradition, there are opportunities for artistic license that speak to the creativity of each artist.

Teresa has attended 10 years of retreats led by Iconographer Phillip Zimmerman and one by Russian iconographer Kzenia Pokrovsky and was then inspired to lead classes first for her husband the Reverend Edward Harrison’s parish at St. John's Cathedral, Jacksonville, FL and more recently Christ Episcopal Church in Coronado. She has taught throughout North and Central America for the past 13 years.

Her method of teaching makes the art form accessible to beginners: the gesso boards are prepared months in advance of the class by her carpenter brother, the medium is acrylic rather than the traditional (but more temperamental) egg tempera, and the gold leaf is supplied as commercially available thin sheets affixed to wax paper. Lest this seem sacrilege, those in the class experienced with both techniques affirmed that the modern methods do not compromise the final result.

Each day before lunch, Noonday Prayer was recited by Teresa, and then the group gathered for a meal prepared by Facilities Manager Bob Oslie. This time offered another opportunity for sharing and learning about each other. Seven of us from St. Paul’s, and then there was an orthodox Catholic priest, a Vietnam POW, an ovarian cancer survivor, teachers, a technical writer turned art collector, those with children struck with disease or dying too young…here we learned about the context in which everyone was experiencing the creative process and its relevance to our own struggles as we encounter everyday life.

For me personally there were several lessons. My own tendency to put off decisions that are difficult was something I encountered daily, despite the restrictive color palette of the Theotokos. There were still seemingly infinite choices to make regarding shading, wetness or dryness of the brush, color blending. It was easy to find convenient distractions, notwithstanding the code of relative silence imposed by Teresa. Even with the 40 hours of class time, I found it is possible to procrastinate some of these important decisions until the last day. Then you are faced with prioritizing. Then there is the issue of too much of a good thing, and not enough elsewhere. And when are you really done and ready to commit the whole thing to a protective polyurethane coat?

Physical limitations were another lesson. Some struggled with the issue of sitting for extended periods of time. Others like myself experienced dry eyes and the diopter limitations of my contact lenses. Shedding those, I was dealing with extreme myopia. In time, we all learned to compensate and in some cases join forces to pray for strength and healing.

On the fifth and final day, icons were transported by their owners to the chapel altar for the blessing. The Reverend Charles Rines gave a homily, performed the Eucharist and gave the final blessing. We learned that some icons would be gifts to friends who had requested them, or for family members. For those of us writing our first icons, they would be gifts to ourselves, reminders of a transformative journey.

In the Theotokos icon written by my hand, Mary gazes upon the infant Jesus, or maybe slightly past Him, pondering the miracle of life, or perhaps transcending time and space in understanding already His tragic end. The beauty and the mystery is that we don’t know, and we won’t know, until the icon is put to use in prayer.

• Presented by the Cathedral Center for Performing and Visual Arts
• Photos by Mike Roeder

-Julie McMinn

A week in the icon-writing life (updated)

Iconographer Teresa Harrison returns to St. Paul's this year for the second annual Icon Writing Retreat in the Great Hall, June 22-26, 2015. Learn the ancient, meditative practice of icon writing during a week dedicated to prayer and contemplation on an icon you select and create. Beginners welcome.  

Places are limited, so contact Julie McMinn at jemcminn@gmail.com to reserve a spot if you are interested.  The cost of $400 per student includes instruction, all materials including a pre-prepared gesso board, and lunch for the week. 

The following article appeared last year in St. Paul's Blog.

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June 23, 2014 8:15 am: Here I am live blogging from the Icon Writing Workshop at St. Paul's Great Hall, brought to you by the Cathedral Arts Committee. It's been a hectic year for me so far, so I'm really enjoying the week off from work, to be spent in prayerful contemplation as I write my first icon. Praying that my lack of artistic knowhow isn't too embarrassing or obvious...

Teresa Harrison is our instructor. We gather in a circle for a morning Eucharist led by Canon Richard Lief, who will also be writing his first icon this week. We read the lessons and gospel for the day, and Canon Lief gives a short sermon, beautifully connecting the gospel to the task at hand, the art of icon writing.

After we take the Eucharist, Teresa leads introductions. There are twenty of us, and I quickly surmise that this is a diverse group. Teresa has two apprentices, Kim and Mike, who assist with the class. They also write icons commissioned to Teresa, and will be working on 33" tall commissioned icons in addition to the smaller ones for class.

Other attendees have taken several of Teresa's workshops, and/or collect icons. Mike has brought in one of his icons from his collection - read mini-museum - of over 200 icons. This one is about 200 years old and is exquisitely detailed. He gives a brief description of the scenes portrayed.

Nancy from Idyllwild is a stained glass artist, and has written icons in egg tempera before, but never acrylics as we are about to do. Meanwhile there are others, like myself, who are new to all of this, but may have read a bit here or there, borrowed a smock, and are praying that divine intervention will save us from a gold-leaf related mishap.

I admit, Teresa suggested the icon I'm writing, and I just read about it the night before. Christ the Pantocrater, the oldest depiction of Jesus, from the 6th century. Through that dark period of history (that we are currently reliving) when graven images were destroyed, this icon survived due to its remote location at the Greek Orthodox St. Catherine's Monastery of Mt. Sinai, Egypt. Since the Arab Spring, armed Muslim Bedouins help the monks to guard the art and library while the brothers painstakingly digitize the whole lot as quickly as possible.

I let Teresa pick my icon because I don't want to get in over my head and I figure she has over 12 years' experience teaching these classes. It shows. She is organized, with every students' place set up the day before (large and small brushes, pens, pencils, cups, prepared gesso boards, etc. etc). She has everyone's name and icon memorized, amplified chants playing from her iPhone dock, special icon prayers and rules, and all this without being too didactic or overbearing...in fact she is the contrary, eternally patient, caring and empathetic.

"Growing up as a child of missionaries in Colombia, we took a precarious road to and from my boarding school. We prayed for travelers along that road, that they wouldn't be wiped out by a landslide or fall off the mountain to their death, and amazingly everyone made it through. The journey of writing an icon is a lot like that road...scary sometimes...but rewarding if you just persevere."

I arrange my gesso board (i.e., canvas) with tracing paper and carbon and begin going over the lines of Christ the Pantocrater and thinking about Teresa's Rule #2 of Icon Writing: Paint Like You are Being Watched by Christ Himself. In my case, I don't need the reminder. I can't remember Rule #1 but Rule #2, I've got that one down.

Another rule is to Pray for Guidance in Color Selection. Failing that, Teresa has a detailed color scheme memorized for each icon that she will share with you. I take advantage of this when I begin with the paint. Nancy marvels at the modern convenience of acrylics vs egg tempera. God said let there be Indian Red Oxide, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Light. And, it was good.

At noon we break for the noon prayer and a delicious lunch of chicken Caesar salad and ice cream provided on location by Sexton Bob Oslie. We reconvene at 1pm for some more circle time. Teresa leads a discussion on our observations and reflections regarding icon writing before we return to our places and continue.

From time to time, Teresa gives short demonstrations on different techniques. Some are icon-specific and others are general techniques, like shading contours in a flowing robe, which most people encounter. We are to practice the demo immediately after it's given, and then continue with other parts of the icon. In this way the new teaching is reinforced and Teresa can provide individualized instruction to twenty people writing ten different icons.

In addition, I peek at my neighbors. A lot. I am seated at a table with three others writing the same icon, none of them newbies like myself. I study their icons, thinking..."How did you shade that..." Oh yeah, I think I remember Rule #1 now...the one about Reverent Silence to Reflect. So that means no speaking and more peeking. Another icon writing rule is To Not Be Jealous of Your Neighbor. Pretty close to impossible. But...no rule against peeking. Nancy's taking a break? Peek, peek, peek...

June 27, 2014 1:00pm: The week just flew by. I'm thinking how I got to know some really interesting people, from Coronado, Alpine, Idyllwild, as well as San Diego. Many of us have traveled the world over. It has been for some an opportunity to touch base with old friends in the icon writing world, as well as make new connections.

Others have recently experienced difficult times and felt a need for a break, and I think all have welcomed the workshop as a spiritual retreat from our wild, wired world (although I may have occasionally checked my iPhone as the latest layer of paint dried). One participant relates how the workshop has been a "healing experience" amidst dealing with a debilitating terminal illness, and it's hard to contain my emotions now.

We carry our icons to the chapel for the final blessing today, led by the Rev. Colin Mathewson, and set them across the altar. Each one separately is a lovingly cut jewel, and strung together across the altar they illuminate the spare chapel with an almost palpable light. Then the blessing is given and suddenly the icons go their separate ways, charged with carrying on the centuries-old tradition of prayerful reverence and icon writing for the next generation.

Julie McMinn

The workshop was sponsored by the Cathedral Center for Performing and Visual Arts

A Week in the Icon Writing Life

June 23, 2014 8:15 am: Here I am live blogging from the Icon Writing Workshop at St. Paul's Great Hall, brought to you by the Cathedral Arts Committee. It's been a hectic year for me so far, so I'm really enjoying the week off from work, to be spent in prayerful contemplation as I write my first icon. Praying that my lack of artistic knowhow isn't too embarrassing or obvious...

Teresa Harrison is our instructor. We gather in a circle for a morning Eucharist led by Canon Richard Lief, who will also be writing his first icon this week. We read the lessons and gospel for the day, and Canon Lief gives a short sermon, beautifully connecting the gospel to the task at hand, the art of icon writing.

After we take the Eucharist, Teresa leads introductions. There are twenty of us, and I quickly surmise that this is a diverse group. Teresa has two apprentices, Kim and Mike, who assist with the class. They also write icons commissioned to Teresa, and will be working on 33" tall commissioned icons in addition to the smaller ones for class.

Other attendees have taken several of Teresa's workshops, and/or collect icons. Mike has brought in one of his icons from his collection - read mini-museum - of over 200 icons. This one is about 200 years old and is exquisitely detailed. He gives a brief description of the scenes portrayed.

Nancy from Idyllwild is a stained glass artist, and has written icons in egg tempera before, but never acrylics as we are about to do. Meanwhile there are others, like myself, who are new to all of this, but may have read a bit here or there, borrowed a smock, and are praying that divine intervention will save us from a gold-leaf related mishap.

I admit, Teresa suggested the icon I'm writing, and I just read about it the night before. Christ the Pantocrater, the oldest depiction of Jesus, from the 6th century. Through that dark period of history (that we are currently reliving) when graven images were destroyed, this icon survived due to its remote location at the Greek Orthodox St. Catherine's Monastery of Mt. Sinai, Egypt. Since the Arab Spring, armed Muslim Bedouins help the monks to guard the art and library while the brothers painstakingly digitize the whole lot as quickly as possible.

I let Teresa pick my icon because I don't want to get in over my head and I figure she has over 12 years' experience teaching these classes. It shows. She is organized, with every students' place set up the day before (large and small brushes, pens, pencils, cups, prepared gesso boards, etc. etc). She has everyone's name and icon memorized, amplified chants playing from her iPhone dock, special icon prayers and rules, and all this without being too didactic or overbearing...in fact she is the contrary, eternally patient, caring and empathetic.

"Growing up as a child of missionaries in Colombia, we took a precarious road to and from my boarding school. We prayed for travelers along that road, that they wouldn't be wiped out by a landslide or fall off the mountain to their death, and amazingly everyone made it through. The journey of writing an icon is a lot like that road...scary sometimes...but rewarding if you just persevere."

I arrange my gesso board (i.e., canvas) with tracing paper and carbon and begin going over the lines of Christ the Pantocrater and thinking about Teresa's Rule #2 of Icon Writing: Paint Like You are Being Watched by Christ Himself. In my case, I don't need the reminder. I can't remember Rule #1 but Rule #2, I've got that one down.

Another rule is to Pray for Guidance in Color Selection. Failing that, Teresa has a detailed color scheme memorized for each icon that she will share with you. I take advantage of this when I begin with the paint. Nancy marvels at the modern convenience of acrylics vs egg tempera. God said let there be Indian Red Oxide, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Light. And, it was good.

At noon we break for the noon prayer and a delicious lunch of chicken Caesar salad and ice cream provided on location by Sexton Bob Oslie. We reconvene at 1pm for some more circle time. Teresa leads a discussion on our observations and reflections regarding icon writing before we return to our places and continue.

From time to time, Teresa gives short demonstrations on different techniques. Some are icon-specific and others are general techniques, like shading contours in a flowing robe, which most people encounter. We are to practice the demo immediately after it's given, and then continue with other parts of the icon. In this way the new teaching is reinforced and Teresa can provide individualized instruction to twenty people writing ten different icons.

In addition, I peek at my neighbors. A lot. I am seated at a table with three others writing the same icon, none of them newbies like myself. I study their icons, thinking..."How did you shade that..." Oh yeah, I think I remember Rule #1 now...the one about Reverent Silence to Reflect. So that means no speaking and more peeking. Another icon writing rule is To Not Be Jealous of Your Neighbor. Pretty close to impossible. But...no rule against peeking. Nancy's taking a break? Peek, peek, peek...

June 27, 2014 1:00pm: The week just flew by. I'm thinking how I got to know some really interesting people, from Coronado, Alpine, Idyllwild, as well as San Diego. Many of us have traveled the world over. It has been for some an opportunity to touch base with old friends in the icon writing world, as well as make new connections.

Others have recently experienced difficult times and felt a need for a break, and I think all have welcomed the workshop as a spiritual retreat from our wild, wired world (although I may have occasionally checked my iPhone as the latest layer of paint dried). One participant relates how the workshop has been a "healing experience" amidst dealing with a debilitating terminal illness, and it's hard to contain my emotions now.

We carry our icons to the chapel for the final blessing today, led by the Rev. Colin Mathewson, and set them across the altar. Each one separately is a lovingly cut jewel, and strung together across the altar they illuminate the spare chapel with an almost palpable light. Then the blessing is given and suddenly the icons go their separate ways, charged with carrying on the centuries-old tradition of prayerful reverence and icon writing for the next generation.

Julie McMinn

The workshop was sponsored by the Cathedral Center for Performing and Visual Arts