Frequently Asked Questions

Is ten days really required?
Mastery requires practice, patience and dedication. The Icon Retreat consists of daily workshops that present a step-by-step approach to creating an icon. Participants spend much of each day in the studio, in a hands-on instructional environment. They prepare gesso and apply it over a sized board which has been covered with scrim or cheesecloth. Hide glue is used for sizing and as base for mixing gesso by adding terra alba, French chalk, calcium carbonate, talc or 10% marble dust. Students prepare a wood panel, size the board with hide glue, glue scrim cheesecloth to the panel, and apply gesso layers throughout the week. Board preparation, drying between coats, and sanding requires three days. During the drying times, students work on developing drawing skills and study iconography. Board preparation and gesso-making are typically not taught in workshops of shorter duration. Time is also provided for evening lectures and question and answer sessions. Participants are encouraged to turn a deaf ear to the "noise" of the everyday world and to tune into the spiritual. With time set aside for devotions, prayer and meditation, participants enjoy a full-emersion experience both in iconography and in the Spirit.

I want to attend a workshop, but I can only spare seven days. May I enroll?
Yes. If you plan on spending just seven days, plan on arriving on the first evening of the retreat. The last days of the workshop are spent on final highlights, lettering, and details in the icon. Early departure is not suggested, as you will miss the finishing touches in writing an icon. Completed icons must be protected and handled with great care until they are dry enough to allow varnish to be applied. They also must be protected from moisture, which causes the paint to lift or smear.

Does a person with artistic training or ability produce a better icon than a person with less experience?
Not necessarily. Certainly, the ability to draw and the understanding of color theory and paint application are advantages. However, icons are not realistic depictions; rather, they have stylized or symbolic qualities that are strangely appropriate to contemporary culture. Icons represent a view beyond the earthly plane. Egg tempera is a challenging medium to master because dry pigments are suspended in the egg and the brush is used to push or direct the liquid onto the panel without touching the actual surface of it. Everyone acquires the necessary experience to produce an icon and beginners to advanced students generally find that the workshops allow them to realize their objectives.

Must I be a Roman Catholic or Orthodox Christian to participate?
No. The workshop appeals generally to Christians, with persons from many Protestant faiths in attendance. The retreat experience is based on Christian theology and includes opportunities for worship and prayer. Participation in faith-based programs is entirely voluntary.

Are the classes for adults?
Generally, yes. Persons 18 years and older generally benefit the most from the experience. However, older teenagers may be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

Who sponsors the Institute?
The North Florida Iconography Institute opened was founded in 1994 as an outreach of the Saint John Neumann Renewal Center. The Institute operates under the auspices of the Catholic Church's Pensacola-Tallahassee Dioceses. Sister Christine Kelly of the Sisters of St. Joseph directs the Institute.

Will I need to bring supplies?
Yes. Watercolor pencils, drawing paper, drawing pencils, extremely transparent, large-size tracing paper, and good quality watercolor brushes (sizes 0 through 6) are among the basic tools you will need. Click here to download a complete list of supplies. If you would prefer that the supplies be purchased in advance and made available to you when you arrive for the retreat, please contact us so that we may arrange for non-refundable pre-payment. The institute does not add any charges for the service, but, rather, passes through the actual cost of the supplies. Be certain to bring clothing that you will be comfortable wearing in the studio without worry about damage from paint or varnishes. You may also want to bring an apron or old shirt to wear over your clothing. You’ll also need a container for water for rinsing brushes at your work station, a two-gallon, freezer-grade plastic bag that you can place your completed icon in for the trip home, several quart-size plastic bags for pigments, two or more 4-ounce jars with eye droppers for egg emulsion and water (generally available for purchase in drug stores),a notebook and pen for notes and a camera to record your progress as you create your icon.

Can you recommend some resources so that I can become more acquainted with icons?

• Books written or edited by Kurt Weitzmann provide wonderful explanations of the art of iconography with details about specific historical icons. A recent release from The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Holy Image Hallowed Ground Icons from Sinai, edited by Robert S. Nelson and Kristen M. Collins, includes color plates and photographs with extensive narratives of the icons and history of those at the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine.
• The exhibition catalogues from the Byzantine exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NewYork are excellent resources.
• The Meaning of Icons and The Theology of Icons by Leonid Ouspensky.
• The Light of Christ, the Work of Fr. Gregory Krug by Fr. Andrew Tregubov.
• The Icon: Image of the Invisible by Egon Sendler, SJ., Oakwood Publications, Torrance, CA, 1988 (Copyright now owned by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, NY.) An excellent source of information about the icon, including its history, theology, geometric foundation, inverse perspective and much more.
• Icons: The Fascination and the Reality, by Konrad Onasch and A. Schniepper, Riverside Publications, NY, 1995. Includes icons grouped by theme, with descriptions and short prayers or scripture accompanying them.
• Old masters of iconography with different styles include Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rublev, Theophanes the Cretan and Dionysii.