Icon Writing Retreat, Tuesday- Friday, February 11-14, 2025

Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, 140, 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, Fl.

 You will learn how to mix and paint with egg tempera, a simple process for gold leaf gilding, and learn the steps to icon painting with explanations and many demonstrations and individual instruction.

This immersive four-day workshop is designed for all levels, including complete beginners! You do not have to be an artist to write icons!

• We use natural Pigments, eggs, and 23K gold leaf to creat beautiful Byzanitine style icons. All materials will be provided for this class. Small watercolor brushes, pencils, extra sketching paper, paper towels, and any other supplies that you wish to bring will be helpful..

• I provide the drawing, for you to trace on tracing paper and I will show you how to transfer it to the Icon board. For icon models, we always find icons that were created before the Renaissance to copy. I will explain more during class and give a talk on the History of Icons..

Icon writing is a form of artistic activity which is informed by theology, rooted deeply in tradition, and yet, to function properly, needs to involve creativity. Through prayer, we invite God into our process.

This class allows clergy, iconographers and lay people to deepen their knowledge in how creating icons can be a very effective way to understand the Gospel in a hands on way.

 Images are important in the church not only because they are connected with their sunjects, or because they illustrate biblical events, but because they visually communicate faith in God.in a multitude of ways.

 “God, in all that is most living and incarnate in Him, is not far away from us, altogether apart from the world we see, touch, hear, smell and taste about us.  Rather He awaits us every instant in our action, in the work of the moment….He is at the tip of my pen, my brush, my needle- of my heart and of my thought. “ Teilhard de Chardin

Cost of the Retreat $400 Deposit: $100 Includes all materials, including icon board.

Click here to Register and pay $100 deposit. The remaining $300 will be due January 11.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter is located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, Florida at 140 4th Street North, Saint Petersburg.

The Cathedral is ADA accessible and there is parking available in the lot across the street from the church on 2nd Avenue North.

February is usually a lovely time to visit St. Petersburg, sunny, with temperatures in the low 70’s. There are many excellent restaurants in the area , and the waterfront parks host two art museums. Accomodations vary and there are many beautiful hotels with pools. Here is a link to one search option from a site called hotel deals.

• Definitely Book in Advance- it will be peak season!

• Email with any questions: chales@halesart.com