2026 Spring All Saints Part 2 (Painting In-Person)

Description

ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE:  TBD

PREREQUISITES: All Saints Part I

Having prayerfully developed your drawing, composition, and research in Part I, you will now bring your chosen saint to life through the luminous tradition of egg-tempera iconography. This second phase invites you to enter more deeply into the spiritual presence of your saint—letting the work of your hands become an act of devotion, contemplation, and artistic refinement. As you lay down each translucent layer, you’ll explore the sacred interplay of light, color, and form that reveals the holiness of the saints and prepares your work for potential inclusion in the 2026 Iconography Exhibition at Mount Angel Abbey. May this be a time when your spiritual study and artistic discipline become one harmonious offering.

OBJECTIVE OF PART 2: PAINTING & EXPRESSION

This course is designed to guide students in painting a complete icon of their chosen saint using traditional Byzantine egg-tempera techniques, fully developing the form, color harmony, modeling, and highlights established during the drawing phase. Students will learn to build luminous skin tones, develop chromatic depth in garments, and apply gold and finishing details appropriate to their saint’s iconographic type.

The completed icon will be prepared for potential selection and display in the Annual Iconography Exhibition at Mount Angel Abbey in June–July 2026. Icons that demonstrate strong theological clarity, technical skill, and fidelity to the Byzantine tradition may be chosen for inclusion in the exhibition.

KEY CONCEPTS:

The Instructor will present essential modules applicable to all students, regardless of the chosen saint. These may include:
• Techniques for laying Sankir and developing consistent flesh tones
• Methods for building highlights
• Rendering garments using appropriate color families and value transitions
• Applying gold assist, patterns, inscriptions, and final line work
• Understanding glazes, transparencies, and the chromatic symbolism appropriate to each saint

These focused modules will support students in applying universal Byzantine painting principles to the specific attributes and visual identity of their saint. Supplemental PDFs will be provided for continued reference.

LEARNING:

Students entering Part II should already have completed a finalized drawing and composition of their saint, demonstrating competence in Byzantine geometry and form. During this second phase, students will work on developing the wall text to be displayed next to the finished icon in the exhibition.

Meets In-Person

• Tuesdays from 6:00pm – 8:30pm
• St. Pius X Catholic Church Community Center
• 1280 NW Saltzman Rd., Portland, OR 97229

Click for Class Schedule

No classes during Holy Week.

Click for Supply List