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Detail of Icon

The art of the Iconographer

As part of the celebrations to mark the completion of the Millennium Tower, St Edmundsbury Cathedral invited an Iconographer to spend two weeks working in the Cathedral. Lynne Patrick went along to meet him.

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The Reverend Derick Stevenson retired from full time ministry in the Church of England in 2001 and since then has been developing his work in the writing of icons.

Icon

The dictionary definition of an icon is: 'a representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a Saint, especially one painted in oil on a wooden panel or mosaic and depicted in a traditional Byzantine style and venerated in the Eastern Church.'

Working in the Cathedral

Priest-Iconographer

As a young man The Rev Stevenson was apprenticed to a Master Bookbinder where he learned the craft of bookbinding, gilding and archive restoration. He also studied Art and Design at the Nottingham College of Art.

After training for the ministry he was ordained Priest at Portsmouth Cathedral in 1981. Throughout his ministry he retained his interest in art.

He was Rector of seven parishes in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and as he approached retirement he asked the Diocese if they would sponsor him to train as an Iconographer.

"It's a slow process, it's a meditative process. It begins in prayer and it's an inspired thing. I believe that it's a gift that I have from God."
The Reverend Derick Stevenson

His tutor was Lynn Taggart at the studio of Guillem Ramoss-Poqui in London. He says: "I went to paint with her for about seven or eight days to learn the basics. I'd read the books but I needed the experience hands-on.

"I enjoyed it so much, I was about to retire and when I did retire I started painting in earnest and I paint practically every day now."

The Rev Stevenson was appointed Diocesan Iconographer by the Bishop of Portsmouth at the Maundy Service in the Cathedral in 2004. He is a member of the British Association of Iconographers and has a Bachelor or Arts degree.

Icon by The Rev Derick Stevenson

Traditional techniques and materials

Each icon that The Rev Stevenson produces takes up to six months to complete. He says: "It's a slow process, it's a meditative process. It begins in prayer and it's an inspired thing. I believe that it's a gift that I have from God."

He uses ancient and authentic iconography techniques. He starts with a wooden board, which he covers with layers of gesso, a fine plaster. He draws the image onto the board and surrounds it with bole, a red clay slip.

Italian gold leaf (23.5 carat) is used to gild the bole area around the image before the icon itself is painted. Egg tempora is used, which is a mix of natural pigments with egg yolk.

Although the whole process takes six months, this includes a number of drying periods. At one point the icons have to be left for two months before any kind of finish or varnish can be applied.

Detailed work on new icon of St Edmund

The designs

All the icons follow traditional designs. Sometimes The Rev Stevenson selects an icon from the past to use as his pattern, or sometimes he is asked to make or find a particular icon.

"On display at the Cathedral is an icon of St Vincet Ferrer - he is the patron saint of plumbers!

The Rev Stevenson says: "My plumber said is there an icon for me, a saint for me? And I found Vincet Ferrer. This was research I had to do. It's quite an animated icon and I like it, so he will be getting that after this exhibition!"

St Vincet Ferrer

Who buys an icon?

Because of all the time and detailed work that goes into each icon they are quite expensive. Of the icons on display at the Cathedral prices started at £150. But they represent a unique and beautiful piece of artwork.

They are usually purchased to celebrate a special occasion, a wedding anniversary or an ordination but some people like collecting The Rev Stevenson's work: "It's just wonderful, painting icons in a cathedral, talking to all the people. There's tremendous interest from people who come and people are very excited by the work that I do and I just love doing it and showing it to people."

An expression of Faith

At the age of 24 The Rev Stevenson set sail for Africa. "Within a short while I really came to know Christ in a very powerful way in my life - conversion and God. I came back from Africa a few years later really a changed man. I met my wife in Africa, I met my Lord in Africa."

Icon by The Rev Derick Stevenson

He sees his writing of icons as an expression of his faith. "I think it's God at work within me. There are three strands of my life that are intertwined in it. There's the craft from being the bookbinder when I left school. There's the art that I've always taken part in - painting and drawing, and there's my faith.

"Those three strands of my life are bound together and they are expressed in the icons that I produce. I believe it's a gift from God."

The Reverend Derick Stevenson can be contacted at: 'Brambles', Main Road, Brightstone, Isle of Wight PO30 4AJ.

last updated: 25/06/2008 at 18:25
created: 18/11/2005

Have Your Say

Ann Welch
Virginia, you may want to check out,Marek Czarnecki, his work on the web looks lovely . I think he is in Connecticut. In New York you could find someone from the Prosopon School . They have a studio next to the Orthodox Cathedral, in the East Village

virginia donigian
can you recommend an artist to do an icon painting of St. Stephen - preferably in New England.

Daina Vallee
Yes beautiful work I would like to contact Reverend Derick Stevenson but I see this article is dated 18/11/05--and I still mail a letter to this address--my e-mail cdvallee@hotmail.com would like a responds please,,D.

Maria Manley
I am an iconographer living in Bethesda, MD, USA. I learned to write icons in London in 1960 from an iconographer in my Russian Church in London. I found Father Derick's interview very moving. I share his belief that writing icons is a gift from God.

Kevin Dolan
To Ann: yes, historically, icons were indeed painted in egg tempera on sized and gessoed panels, though mosaic or encaustic have also been used depending on locality; sometimes in deliberately exaggerated brush strokes, and sometimes applied using soft brushes and sponges in multiple translucent layers, depending on the local style. However, remember that though the images and composition are bound by rules, the materials used are not to the same extent: modern-day practitioners – such as the Reverend Derick Stevenson – are not limited to (or by) egg-tempera; they can use oil paint if they choose to, or both in a mixed technique, or even acrylic, watercolour, gouache or soft pastels; they can also paint on stretched canvas or hand-made paper if they prefer. Today’s dedicated religious painter is not (and should not feel) shackled by the practical limitations of a thousand miles away and a thousand years ago. To Virginia: most expert icon-painters are extremely scrupulous as to technique, so for even a small fault to appear is a serious matter. I would say in this case that there is clearly something wrong with the ground upon which your bought painting has been executed. Bubbles imply a chemical incompatibility. You give no details of the painting and from where you got it, but it sounds as if it should be immediately returned to the artist and the fault reported to him. He is morally if not legally bound to repair it or exchange it for another of equivalent size and worth. If he is a genuine iconographer, he will be more than happy to do so. However, sadly, not all “icons” bought on such as a holiday in Greece or Russia are necessarily what they are claimed to be…

ann welch
your dictionary definition of an icon being written in oil is incorrect . Egg tempera ,fresco,encaustic,or even mosaic can be used as media, but oil paint is incorrect.

virginia donigian
I have an egg tempora icon which is about 2 years old. It was fine when I picked it up from the painter. A year later,i noticed the right check of the saint looks as though it has been smudged. It was fine when I picked it up.Also the sides look as though they are peeled. Also bubbles appear in the painting. What could possibly gone wrong.

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The art of the Iconographer