Monks teach iconography, spirituality – Detroit Catholic

Brother Thomas Skowron, OFM, who trained in Germany and Ukraine, will host a five-day monastic retreat on sacred arts at the Capuchin Monastery Center.

Washington Township — Writing an icon is like cultivating a relationship with another person.

There is a process of laying a foundation, building on that foundation, and working through the bumps and wrinkles that you may experience when getting to know another person.

The final product is a unique image that only an iconographer could create in that place and time, and through the process the artist gains a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

“The icon invites you into relationship,” explained Brother Thomas Skowron, OFM Capuchin Friars, who led the icon retreat July 8-12 at the Capuchin Center in Washington Township.

Monk Skowron led 20 novice students in prayer and art, teaching them the basics of what icons are, how icons are painted, and the theology behind ancient liturgical art.

“We are trying to portray the presence of God, and it’s a very ambitious task,” Brother Skowron said. Detroit Catholic On July 12, the last day of the retreat, we prayed. “It’s not easy, but it’s very rewarding and I think it’s a wonderful way to pray. For these five days, we’ve been looking straight at Jesus. It’s like worship. It’s a wonderful prayer.”

Over the course of five days, retreatants learned about iconography, prayer, and what it means to paint an image of Christ the Redeemer.

“Icons are sometimes called windows into God or sacred space,” Brother Skowron says, “and I don’t like the image of a window, because I see something through a window and I know exactly what it is. I prefer to see an icon as a mirror. A mirror doesn’t reflect a 100 percent image of what you’re looking at. There’s a little distortion. It reminds me that the reality I’m looking at is only a reflection of a much larger divine reality.”

Brother Skowron, pastor of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, became interested in iconography while living in Germany and wanted to study it with another Capuchin monk who lived next door.

They traveled to Hamburg to study with Benedictine monks and completed their first icon in six days, after which they sought further study at Iconon Schole in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, an icon painting school run by the Greek Catholic Diocese of Mukacheve and the Ukrainian and Russian Capuchin monks.

The Skowrons currently host retreats and teach iconography in the U.S. They say iconography is an art form that doesn’t take long to master, and they teach basic forms and techniques to get beginners interested in iconography.

Linda Endres, a member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Sterling Heights, has a fine arts degree with experience in fiber, quilting and knitting, but she wanted to learn more about iconography by attending the workshop, which took place on the grounds of the Capuchin Order’s beautiful retreat.

Endres enjoyed learning the theology behind the art form, especially the explanations of how artists experience various ups and downs during the process, just as people experience ups and downs in life.

“I had morning and afternoon sessions, and my moods went up and down throughout the day, but I got to a really important point in my painting,” Endres said. “For example, when I was painting the eyes, I woke up that night thinking about them. One of the eyes was messed up, and I started painting and wasn’t sure what I could do. But once I fixed that, I was able to relax and get back the joy of painting.”

Endres said the retreat not only taught the techniques involved in iconography, but also delved into the spiritual aspects and what it means for an artist to stand before an iconographic subject and create with his or her own hands an image of the divine savior.

“I was moved when Brother Thomas spoke about us gazing at the Holy Face for five days,” Endres said, “and as a visual person, when I went through that particular step of setting up the icon and just sitting on it, it just seemed like a beautiful way to commune with the Lord.”

Just as Brother Skowron said that icons are a mirror of holy people, so too are icons a mirror of the artist himself, which is why each icon is unique, flaws and all, and a reflection of the artist as much as of the subject.

“Every icon is different, and that’s what I teach,” Brother Skowron said. “There’s something about this icon that’s specific to you. Maybe it’s darker because there’s darkness in your life. I don’t want to get therapeutic or over-interpret here, but sometimes we struggle when we paint because we have our own turmoil. But as we work with the board, we learn patience, in art and in life.”

When the participants completed their liturgically blessed icon at the end of the retreat, Brother Skowron said that in addition to learning more about technique, he hoped the participants had developed a deeper spirituality by praying before the icon.

“We hope they see the beauty of the icons and that it’s more than just the visual aspect,” Brother Skowron said. “The icons are beautiful works of art, but there’s reality in them. We’re trying to portray the reality of God, and we hope they can discover that. We want them to find joy, and it seems to be working. They all seem to be having a lot of fun painting and discovering and gazing at Jesus and finding themselves in the icons.”

For Endres, the retreat meant not only getting the opportunity to learn what it takes to paint an icon on a technical level, but also what it means to produce and absorb these sacred images on a spiritual level.

“I think this week left an impression on me that I can’t put into words,” Endres said. “The experience of creating something was a reflection of life. Things don’t always go smoothly, but you get something beautiful at the end, so it’s a beautiful metaphor. And at the end, I’m left with a beautiful icon. It’s something I spent a lot of time on and now I’m happy it’s finished.”