A course review by Rev Ian Browne part 1
Having completed a course in 2010 and attempted some panels at home over the year with varying success, it was time to do a second course. No matter how observant you are or how well you record, there is a lot to take in, and to repeat a course under expert tuition and the encouragement of a group was a wise decision. So much came back in the practical sessions and the process became much more instinctive. You can never practise laying gold leaf enough, and there is thrill of seeing the shine come with burnishing. Egg tempora seems a much more forgiving medium than water colour or oils. If you make a mistake, it is easily and quickly corrected. When the lines of the face disappear under the initial ground of colour it is easy to panic. Nothing prepares you for the spiritual revelation of the features of the face appearing with the first highlights it is an act of creation. The personality of the icon begins to take shape and bit by bit is completed. None of this can be hurried, and the course is as much a retreat as days of instruction. Concentration takes effort and energy, and the breaks for lunch are a social and culinary reward for hard work! Peter is a great teacher you are not left to flounder in your own creativity but given the skills to return home with and continue under your own steam. When people see what you have achieved, eyes open and people exclaim, Did you do that? The response is, Yes, but with the help of a good teacher.