Damien Higgins
COTTONWOOD — An iconography workshop led by the Rev. Damian Higgins, featured in the Feb. 20 issue of 360, will be Aug. 17-22 at the Monastery of St. Gertrude near here.
Higgins, a priest-monk and iconographer from Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood Valley, Calif., will lead workshop participants though a prayer process as they create a painting of St. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict.Creating icons is a visual form of prayer, Higgins stated in a news release, where physical materials connect the soul with the divine. The purpose, he explained, is in the process and not the finished product.
“Whether we know it or not, we’re an iconographic people,” Higgins stated. “We’re surrounded by images we respond to, but mostly they advertise. They direct us toward a product. Holy icons direct us not toward themselves, but toward the divine.”
Materials for the workshop are provided and prior artistic experience is not necessary. The suggested donation for the retreat is $530 and space is limited. For more information and to register for the retreat, call (208) 962-2000 or visit www.Spirit-Center.org.
The next iconography retreat is scheduled for February.
— Michelle Schmidt
