THE MAKING OF AN ICON

For years, Nina Mucha dreamed of attending a painting workshop at the Sacred Art Institute at Enders Island in Mystic, Conn.

She never did because of the cost. Mucha says her children and grandchildren always came first as did the expense of things such as college tuitions and braces, just to name a few. With her children all grown, after 40 years of eyeing various retreats, Mucha’s husband surprised her last year with an icon retreat workshop at Enders Island.

The workshop was instructed by Veronica Royal, an artist born in Nancy, France, who has studied under an impressive litany of icon painters from all across the globe.

“The retreat wasn’t just a painting workshop, but a prayerful experience,” said Mucha, who was educated on the history of iconography and schools of thought, while painting the icon, Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, at the retreat.

While in the workshop, Mucha, who is from Glens Falls, was surrounded by people with art backgrounds from all around the country. One included an art teacher from Chicago who aspired to bring iconography to her class, Mucha said. Although going into the retreat she hadn’t had prior experience with painting icons, Mucha said Royal guided her through the process with patience and encouragement, instructing each student on a one-on-one basis as they crafted their icons.

“Everybody leaves with something they’re proud of,” Mucha said, “others are shocked I did this.”

According to Royal, students not only learn new techniques of painting, but they also learn “an entirely new world.”

To create an icon, students trace the outline of an existing icon and then use carbon paper to apply the outline to a wooden board. Next, after mixing paints to achieve the right color, students paint the entire board and work from the background out. After painting the gown and adding color to other areas, students add shading to the face and hands.

Egg tempera paint, a mixture of natural pigment, egg yolk, vinegar and water, is traditionally used, Royal said, but she teaches her students with acrylic.

“Once people understand these icons are alive and an aide to prayer, it makes our work even more worthwhile,” Royal said.

Royal — drawn to iconography as a child brought up in the Ukrainian-Byzantine Rite Church with Ukrainian and Russian parents — immigrated to the U.S. when she was 8 years old and began her vocation to iconography after joining the Carmelite Secular Community in the 1990s.

To learn the technique and spirituality of the sacred art of iconography, she travelled to Greece and England to work with professional iconographers.

Now, working full-time as an iconographer filling commissions for churches, priests, religious organizations and families, Royal also teaches workshops, which she has done for the past 15 years, and lectures at various venues nationwide. One workshop in Northern Virginia brought iconographers from Romania, England, Greece, and Russia so that they might profit from their skills.

Oftentimes, Royal will receive commissions to commemorate a special event, such as a first communion, birthday, or even wedding, with a request for a prayer to be said while she creates the icon. Royal, whose art often turns into family heirlooms, also teaches “History and Theology of the Icon” at Catholic Distance University, which is located in Charles Town, Va., and offers online undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs.
Royal teaches bringing beauty back into the Church, mentioning how although the sacred art dates back to Pre-Renaissance days, there’s been a resurgence of interest in iconography globally.

“People are starving for a new way to connect with their faith and this is a beautiful way to do it,” Royal said.

Mucha said the workshop lit a fire within her, not only to paint more icons, but to spearhead Royal’s next workshop on July 27-31, bringing the retreat to New York for the first time at the Notre Dame Retreat Center in Canan­daigua.

The subject of the class will be the icon of Christ the King. The curriculum is filled with prayer and individual instruction, including lectures on iconography, drawing in the Byzantine style and icon painting using natural pigments and acrylic.

The five-day workshop, including materials, costs $550 per person, with an option to pay in $200 increments. Room and board at the retreat center, which includes three meals and snacks, costs $100 per day. Currently, there are eight available spots. Those who sign up before April 1, will receive $50 off registration. For more information, email Nina Mucha at [email protected].