Articles and Videos

Saint Cyril the Wonder-worker is the recently canonized 116th Patriarch of Alexandria. Finishing every icon is a blessing, but this one was especially so. Making an icon of a modern saint who is so loved by the Coptic community, was wonderful. To purchase a card or poster of this icon, please visit the studio’s shop. … Read more

Sunday, June 30th to Friday, July 5th, 2019. Arrival: 4pm on Sunday.Completion: 8pm on Friday.Registration deadline: June 24th, 2019. Location St. John’s Convent Guest House 233 Cummer Avenue Toronto, ON M2M 2E8 Contact Information Phone: 416-226-2201, ext. 305 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.ssjd.ca Fees: $650 $350 for the teaching and supplies + $300 for overnight accommodation … Read more

Working with wood to make a panel remains something I love about making traditional orthodox icons. Maybe it’s the smell of the cut wood, which always takes me back to my Grandfather’s woodshop where we built things together when I was a child. Or, maybe it’s the fact that there’s always something more to learn … Read more

In this introductory iconography class, Symeon will teach 12 participants over 4 months to make an Orthodox icon using traditional methods and materials. The Level 1 class provides the experience of making an icon by copying one of Christ the Pantocrator created by Symeon for this purpose. Such work from a prototype makes room for new students … Read more

It seems to me that all blues are the colour of the air—and this is certainly the case for woad blue. As the fall season comes to Canada, the hazy sky of summer clears and becomes a blue as deep as eternity offset by the flaming yellows and reds of the trees’ autumn leaves. It … Read more

Yesterday an article of mine appeared in the Orthodox Arts Journal entitled, “Local Color in Icons”. The piece is a reflection of how living in Conestoga for the last 15 years has shaped my iconographic work, and is ultimately about how much I’ve found that the material world (especially its local colour pigments) can inspire sacred artwork. As … Read more

Saint Andrew was one of the twelve disciples who followed Christ during his ministry. He also proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom of God after his death as an apostle. He first encounters Christ as a follower of Saint John the Baptist. But, after hearing Saint John’s words about Christ, he believes and leaves … Read more

Finding inspiration in something local is a big part of the studio’s work. While it is most obvious in the pigment colours foraged and used to make paint for its icons, it exists in other ways, too. Today that search for local sources took my son and I out into the woods to harvest a … Read more

Friday, February 24th, 2017 at 7:30 pm Great Hall at Conrad Grebel University College All are welcome for this public talk. Over the years, I’ve worked through a number of ways of sharing about the traditional practices of iconography. In this talk, we’ll weave together the theologic, historic, stylistic, and material considerations that all combine … Read more