Three Medieval-Art Classes this July; Plus a Weekend Residential on Sacred Art and the New Evangelization
Learn to Paint in the Style of the English Gothic School of St Albans: Kansas, Calgary and New Hampshire.
Plus, for artists and non-artists alike, Sacred Art and the New Evangelization a weekend residential course teaching about the connection between art, culture and liturgy. Offered by myself and Dr Caroline Farey, adviser to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
For any who are interested, here are the contact details for four residential summer schools that offer instruction either on the theory or practice of sacred art. In painting classes teach the painting of illuminations in the style of the gothic Masters of the School of St Albans (which flourish in the 13th century England). I am the teacher at each. In this week of the Feast of the Visitation, as an example I offer a modern illumination in this style.
Here are the courses:
Painting - Diocese of Kansas City, KS (July 14- 18th); Contact: Kimberly Rode at ecat2@archkck.org
It is envisaged that many will be interested in taking both courses in Kansas, they are designed to compliment each other.
Painting - St Mary's University College, Calgary, Canada (July 21-25th), email: sacredarts@stmu.ca
Painting - Thomas More College in Merrimack, NH (July 27-August 2). Contact: Gwyneth Holston, gholston@thomasmorecollege.edu
The New Evangelization course is $250 all in.
All painting courses come in at a cost of under $600. Although each is taught as a class in which we work together, each class is taught so that each person gets a high level of individual attention and personalized instruction. This allows everyone work at his own pace and level. Each course will be suitable therefore, both for beginners and the more experienced. If you have already done one of these courses this will be for building on what you already know - you will be able to choose your own image and will benefit from more instruction. Students will learn the traditional technique of egg tempera. Here is a modern King David painted in the style of the School of St Albans.
At all three, I will teach people also how to pray with visual imagery (a lot more straightforward than many imagine) and explain how to set up an icon or image corner as a focus of prayer in your home (as described in the book, The Little Oratory). At the courses in Kansas and at Thomas More College the singing of the Divine Office will run through the course, so people who wish to will have a chance not only to sing the psalms, but potentially also learn to do so at a level that they can start doing it at home or parish - perhaps in front of your own icon corner.
The icon class at Thomas More College coincides with a lecture series the college is presenting that features myself, NLM's own Matthew Alderman, the founder and director of the Catholic Artist's Society Kevin Collins, the well known sculptor Andrew Wilson Smith and finally, but not least, Dr Ryan Topping the author of Rebuilding Catholic Culture. All lectures are open to the public and free to attend.
