Icon Painting Class in Our Parish
On Sunday November 24th, members of our Parish family took part in an Acrylic Icon painting workshop.
Organized and led by Ms. Larissa Holowaty, our students of all ages were able to trace an Icon of St. Nicholas of Myra and then apply paint filling in the outline. Reader Gregory Sagan discussed the importance of Icons in Orthodox worship, the difference between worship and veneration, and how traditional Icons are written with natural materials given to us by God.
We learned that in all of Orthodox worship, we give back to God what he has given us. When we sing we offer our voices, when we celebrate Liturgy we offer gifts of bread and wine for the Eucharist, and when we write (paint) icons, we use natural wood for the base and brush handle, egg tempera for the paint, and natural colors for pigment. Reader Gregory also noted that icons are an important theological tool to help the faithful clearly understand the events or Saints being depicted. We know that the icon is two dimensional, and that we become the third dimension (bringing the icon “to life”) by our participation in veneration.
Each student had their own unique take on vestment colors, and enjoyed the fellowship while participating in the workshop.
