Paint and prayer blended with the beautiful surroundings of the Burden Gardens in Baton Rouge as people gathered and produced Byzantine icons of St. Patrick during a workshop Feb. 20-25.
The Friends of LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden sponsored the event.
The expressions of the artists were as varied as the icons they created: some furrowed their eyebrows in concentration before they dabbed their paintbrush and applied the next paint brush stroke, hoping to give it “just the right touch;” others appeared serene as they experienced the healing of participating in the sacred art; and others smiled and laughed as they proudly showed off their progress to others.
Diana Wells, part of a team of iconographers helping guide the participants, was pleased to see more people emerging from the pandemic and getting back to the things they enjoy.
“It’s good to see our long-term painters,” said Wells.
While the artists separated temporarily because of COVID-19, they told her “(painting icons) is what got us through the pandemic.”
With the feast day of St. Patrick, a popular Lenten saint, falling on March 17, workshop organizers selected the saint with that in mind.
They also researched St. Patrick and “auditioned” the paints that would be used. The colors used on the pallets were mostly a mixture of paints in order to produce the right tones for painting the imagery – the cliffs of Dover overlooking “rough waters” of the sea, the saint’s gray hair, etc.
Attention was given to green because that is the color most people associate with St. Patrick. But Wells noted that St. Patrick was originally associated with the color blue, so much attention was given to that as well.
The use of green on St. Patrick’s Day began during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, when the clover became a symbol of nationalism and the “wearing of the green” on lapels became a regular practice.
Each participant was given a pattern, and while they adhered to the guidelines of iconography, they created their icon with their own individual touch.
“When you see someone else do (an icon image), it’s not exactly the same,” said Wells. “Someone else might want the hair a little straighter and highlighted differently than others, and the eyes, especially the eyes, change with each individual.”
Since the St. Patrick icon is rich in symbolism, Wells noted that some added snakes to their image. Historians say some believe that the snakes often symbolize evil in literature, so when St. Patrick “drove the snakes out of Ireland,” that meant he rid Ireland of “the evil paganism” and brought Christianity to the green isle.
Each icon was also shaped by the artist’s personal story.
Joey Fortenberry, a member of St. Joseph Church in Ponchatoula and lone male participant, was injured a few years ago and is now a paraplegic.
“I’ve always painted a little bit,” he said. “My wife encouraged me to attend; she thought it would be therapeutic.”
“I can’t do a lot of what I used to be able to do. With (iconography) you don’t get distracted and your attention is focused on the saint rather than yourself,” Fortenberry added.
He said the other attendees and instructors were kind to him, bringing him coffee, opening doors, sharing their artwork with him.
This was his first workshop and he’s “had to redo some stuff” but through that he’s cultivated patience, humility and obedience for Lent. And with the help of technology, all the instructions for the workshop were available online for reference.
Fortenberry said he is motivated to do more research on St. Patrick since he “spent some time with him.”
Reverend Robin McCullough, retired director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, also attended the icon workshop for the first time.
“I pray as I paint,” said McCullough, who said the workshop helped her to reflect on her upcoming trip in which she will travel to Scotland and Ireland among other places.
St. Patrick’s Day feast day will fall during her trip, and she hopes to visit some of the churches that St. Patrick founded.
She said one of the interesting things about painting icons is the artist begins “with the shadows and allow shades of light to come through it.”
“All of us have a dark side, shadows, so it’s the idea of allowing the light of love to come through,” said McCullough.
She particularly liked that the artists began each day with prayer, and she composed a “Prayer in honor of St. Patrick, Bishop of Ireland” to share with the rest of the participants.
The Byzantine workshops have also been “mom and daughter time” for Cynthia Graves, a member of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge, and her daughter Katelin Walker of Memphis, Tennessee. The St. Patrick workshop was their fifth together, and Walker travels from Memphis specifically to participate.
“It’s a good marriage of faith and art for me,” said Walker.
Graves agreed, “It’s a religious experience to make an icon.”
Graves said she enjoys catching up with her daughter as they paint and talk about their saint.
“It’s just the two of us,” said Graves, to which Walker wryly chimed in “I’m her favorite of the bunch.”
Walker said she has learned a lot from the workshop that she will use in forming her daughters in the faith. They are Kadence, 15, a Catholic school student, and Lena, 12, whom Walker homeschools.
There’s a special connection with St. Patrick in that Kadence will be 16 on St. Patrick’s Day. Walker will give her the finished icon to her as a birthday gift.
“She’s already made a claim on one of my saints,” said Walker with a smile.