Icon Painting Lessons
Irina Bradley is a Russian Orthodox master icon painter, who specialises in the Russo-Byzantine icon painting tradition practiced by the Prosopon School of Iconology. She studied at the Moscow branch of the Prosopon School and at the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts.
Irina holds one week courses at Ealing Abbey in West London and at the Princes School of Traditional Arts in Shoreditch where she is a visiting tutor, teaching MA and general public students. A new student can expect to complete a simple small icon during the week. She also holds regular all-day workshops typically with 2 to 5 students at her studio in High Wycombe. Beginners are welcome and they would typically complete their first icon in 5 to 10 sessions,
Irina is happy to conduct courses all over the world. She can carry out courses for up to 12 students at a location of your choice and is happy to discuss this. She has conducted one-week courses in Devon, for example, and it is simple for her to bring all the materials to your location in the UK. She would be delighted to run courses in overseas locations but the logistics of getting all the materials to the site may be more complex.
Irina’s icons are in churches, places of private worship and private collections in Australia, Norway, Russia, UAE, United Kingdom and the United States, including the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in London. In 2012 Prince Charles visited her exhibition at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair and met Irina and her students.
To discuss how to start to paint an icon, contact Irina on 07905 059419, 01494 534974 or irinabradley@hotmail.com
Irina holds one week courses at Ealing Abbey in West London and at the Princes School of Traditional Arts in Shoreditch where she is a visiting tutor, teaching MA and general public students. A new student can expect to complete a simple small icon during the week. She also holds regular all-day workshops typically with 2 to 5 students at her studio in High Wycombe. Beginners are welcome and they would typically complete their first icon in 5 to 10 sessions,
Irina is happy to conduct courses all over the world. She can carry out courses for up to 12 students at a location of your choice and is happy to discuss this. She has conducted one-week courses in Devon, for example, and it is simple for her to bring all the materials to your location in the UK. She would be delighted to run courses in overseas locations but the logistics of getting all the materials to the site may be more complex.
Irina’s icons are in churches, places of private worship and private collections in Australia, Norway, Russia, UAE, United Kingdom and the United States, including the main Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God in London. In 2012 Prince Charles visited her exhibition at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair and met Irina and her students.
To discuss how to start to paint an icon, contact Irina on 07905 059419, 01494 534974 or irinabradley@hotmail.com
Grinding cinnabar and azurite
Irina uses 23 carat gold leaf and the finest natural earth and mineral pigments in her work. Some of them are very rare, such as azurite, cinnabar, dioptase, lapis and malachite, as well as Tyrean purple, which comes from sea snails and is extremely rare.
Archangel Michael (fragment)
Irina’s icons are not commercially oriented, she ensures the attention is paid to the finest detail
Some of Irina’s icons have engraved effect halos, which is achieved by a very highly skilled technique. It requires several days to finish the burnishing.
Some of Irina’s icons have engraved effect halos, which is achieved by a very highly skilled technique. It requires several days to finish the burnishing.
Removing linseed oil from the icon of Anastasis
Unlike many modern iconographers Irina uses natural media for gilding. Traditionally boiled beer or garlic juice have been used in Russia for priming assist (fine gold lines).
Irina’s icons are finished in linseed oil, which is traditionally used in Russia. After the oil is removed, the colours become brighter and the crystal pigments truly shine from within.
Irina’s icons are finished in linseed oil, which is traditionally used in Russia. After the oil is removed, the colours become brighter and the crystal pigments truly shine from within.