6 DAY ICON RETREAT (Limit 10) 

Greek-Byzantine Iconography using the traditional technique of egg-tempera painting and gold leafing.

Presenter: Mihai Cucu
Cost: €500 - deposit €60

A six days Icon Retreat allows each participant to set out on a beautiful journey into the world of iconography. Often regarded in the Western tradition as an exotic practice - it is much more. The icon is an integral part of the liturgy of the Orthodox churches. Its beauty has a deeper meaning that what we see. It is the visual Word of God, and, like a sacrament, invites us to open ourselves to an experience beyond words, which touches the innermost depths of our being. It awakens in us a sense of inner world which is permeated by a divine light.

Mahai Cucu was born in Romania/Suceava. He has a degree in Art Restoration and Conservation at the University of Fine Arts "George Enescu", Iasi, Romania. Between 1997 and 2002, he has worked on the restoration of frescoes and iconostases in several monastries in Romania.

In 2001, as a Erasmus student, he studied cermaics at Falmouth College of Arts, Cornwall, England. In 2006, he was artist in residence on the Aran Islands, sponsored by Inishere's Arts and Heritage Centre and then at Hilltown Studio Theatre sponsored by Westmeath County Council.

He spent most of his past 10 years in Ireland dividing his time between writing icons, exhibiting, leading Icon Writing Retreats or conducting courses and workshops on Byzantine Iconography. He is a tutor for NOSTRA, a modular, credit-based programme based in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick which enables the participant to achieve a College Certificate in Theology and Religious Studies. His icons are part of private collections around the world, including Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Ireland, Romania and America or they can be seen in many churches in Ireland. He is currently living in Ireland, working on commissions, giving Icon writing retreats, courses and workshops on iconography.