The Icon studio was founded in 2006 by Sr. Mary Stella. The room had been used previously for day groups as an overflow from the guest house but was used as a storeroom as well. The idea of a studio was suggested by Sr. Mary Stella who managed to persuade people to help her paint, redecorate and refurbish the room. It has been a wonderful example of people's generosity! The electrics were redone, a wooden stove donated, art materials donated or brought from Slough.

Now Sr. Mary Stella holds regular groups and workshops and works with Iconographers from different parts of the country. Sr. Esther from Turvey Abbey has also been very helpful. Every Wednesday there is a regular group from beginners to the more experienced. There are also advanced workshops planned and a new beginners retreat for the 2009 programme. Details will be available before Christmas on the website. The Icons on this website are pictures taken of the Icons written in the Icon studio. Recent pictures of the weekend with Dr. Guillem Ramos-Poqui, painter of the recent Therese of Lisieux icon, have now been included in the slideshow.

 

Article written by Donna Worthington about the Seeking the Sacred Weekend in October.

Opening Doorways to the Sacred in a Northern Monastery: a weekend exploration of the meaning of liturgy and icon painting Befriended by ancient crag, exquisite woodland, frog ponds and magical gardens is Hyning Monastery in Lancashire, a beacon of contemplation, gentle hospitality and an unforced human kindness. Within its many Gospel treasures, is an earthy, stone icon studio set up by icon painter Sister Stella... it was here that a master of the art of icon painting, Dr. Guillem Ramos-Poqui, painter of the recent Therese of Lisieux icon, revealed some of the secrets of this intriguing and profound approach to the divine. The ‘Seeking the Sacred through the Arts’ weekend at the monastery concerned the Arts, liturgy and icon painting; it was a feast for the senses; yellow ochre, cobalt blue, the deepest reds... as we painted, we prayed and as we prayed, the characters from our tradition, namely the saints, as icons placed lovingly on the white studio walls, joined us on the journey... one that particularly caught my attention was that of St. George who had tamed, not killed the dragon; the Jungian notions of individuation were subtly present in paint... In her most recent book, Karen Armstrong offers a profound challenge; she reminds us of the loss of ‘mythos’ due to the predominance of ‘logos’ and asks: How can we extricate ourselves from the religious cul-de-sac we entered about 300 years ago? Logos, of course means ‘word’ and ‘mythos’ concerns, as she says the more elusive aspects of human experience; the latter is entwined with human stories, the imagination, intangible meanings; the icon itself could be seen as part of the ‘mythos’ tradition.  Do doctrine and words now dominate our liturgy, at the expense of ‘mythos’? She writes that logos cannot assuage human grief or give people intimations that their lives have meaning. Do we therefore need to rediscover treasures from our Christian tradition such as icons; the very quiddity of which is ultimate ‘meaning’? As ‘liturgy’ derives from ‘laos’ meaning ‘people’ some would say that it should emerge from people’s stories and their experiences; indeed, we are reminded by official Catholic teaching that the Church should be concerned with the joys and hopes, fears and anxieties of the people… Our icon weekend began on the Friday evening, with an exploration of liturgy in a creative way. That night, we processed by candlelight into the beautifully simple barn chapel and allowed our artists to guide us to the threshold of the Sacred stillness. Surely liturgy should give us glimpses into the sacred, and the profound beauty of the divine; it can indeed be icon-like; God gazes upon humanity and humanity gazes back. Shouldn’t it rent asunder the veil and allow God, who Jesus described as ‘love’ to embrace us, embolden us, inspire us and rejoice in us. Beautiful icons illuminated the darkness as people placed light before them, the haunting sound of the harp resonating with the profundity of a Psalm’s message... Why are some people within and without the Church, forgive me, I hate to use the word, but it is sometimes said, why are so many ‘bored’ by liturgy? If God is deeply attractive, why is this happening? We heard John O’Donohue’s words from his book Divine Beauty: The divine imagination has infused the things of the world with secret depths. ... We are the ultimate participants here – the more we give ourselves to experience and strive for expression, the deeper it opens before us. We gazed at art images from over the centuries, from Rembrandt’s Head of Christ to Gormley’s Angel of the North. Violin and guitar, poetry, song, contemplation of icons were all part of a search to put our minds and hearts (mythos) into our liturgy... So, liturgically, ‘Christianly’, are we in a cul-de-sac? And if we are, how do we get ourselves out of it? Perhaps returning to the art of icon making is one of the myriad ways forward, a return to an ancient skill, a return to sacred gateways. As Christ revealed the Divine, so to do icons that sacramentally provide bridges, pathways into mystery. Our weekend was offered with a sense of humility; it was a small attempt to begin to explore a few questions concerning the way we approach liturgy. A return to ‘mythos’ I think is vital, alongside ‘belief’ and doctrine of course, and that journey of return, which many are traversing, will involve encountering symbolism, literature, music, art, drama, mythology… In his Concerning the Spiritual in Art, the artist Kandinsky sees art as dealing with emotions - What are the inner emotions of our age? Is our liturgy reflecting that question? Should it be doing this? How can our liturgy be inclusive and open, as well as expressing a deep ontological understanding of who we are in terms of our Christian identity? Kandinsky thought we were awakening after years of materialism; he wrote:  ...our soul is infected with the despair born of unbelief of lack of purpose and aim. A fascinating reflection of his was that the artist: ...will attempt to arouse more refined emotions, as yet unnamed and he quotes Schumann: To send light into the darkness of humans hearts – such is the obligation of the artist. So perhaps the obligation of those involved with liturgy should be to worship God by seeking ‘to send light into the darkness of human hearts’? Perhaps more people need to be invited to play their part in liturgy, the churched and unchurched, especially young people and become artists in that process. I’m reminded of the famous Rublev icon of The Trinity and its invitation to join the divine community through the empty space at the table; surely this is what liturgy should be seeking to do? It’s clear that if do not try to do this with a profound creativity and will, then I think we actually turn down the volume of the precious and deeply affirming symphony that our God yearns us to hear… perhaps the ‘icon’ is a silent reminder of this spiritual truth? A little of that symphony was heard that night in a very wonderful Northern Monastery.

 

Hyning programme

For further information contact sistermarystella@yahoo.co.uk or hyningbookings@yahoo.co.uk.

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© Bernardine Cistercians 2010