ICONOKIDS: SACRED ART BY INA HECKER

Ikonokids Workshop

Inkonokids was created as a necessity for me - a way to get my children involved in what they see me doing - teaching them to paint with a bigger purpose.

Why not teach them watercolors, or a different theme? The answer is because of my vocation.

I do not have the vocation of painting watercolors, but I do have the vocation of depicting Christ’s face, and also the vocation to teach from the heart, so I wanted them to have the experience and maybe learn to appreciate it

They all agreed they wanted to do it, so we started a few years back with some friends and their children, with Romanian glass Icon painting technique. All of them wanted to do Christ or the Theotokos; only Sebastian , my oldest child, chose a very complicated subject of St George and the Dragon. He always likes big challenges !

After a first summer session we had a second winter session and they all finished a second glass Icon.

Last summer, Cata was visiting from Chile, and both she and my son Lucas wanted to write another icon. We had a little more time and since they both had completed 2 Icons in glass I decided to try a new media and paint with acrylics. It really was an experiment since acrylics is not the media I use for my icons, but it is fast drying and the same principals can be applied to it. Even Sofia, my 4 year old, painted crosses on little boards.

I could probably expand and write an essay about the spiritual importance of this work, but writing is not my calling and it would be futile. God alone knows what is in the heart of the worker.

My only prayer in the beginning is that the Holy Spirit and Christ Himself will do the work in their still fresh hearts and minds, and accomplish the teaching that we, as parents and human models, have failed to deliver because of weakness or lack of maturity. I trust in this and in the minutes they spent with their brushes depicting the most beautiful face of all.

And I trust that as they prepared the boards with gesso and traced the Christ face down on the board, and as they applied the paint in successive layers, one after another rescuing the features of Our Savior from getting blurred by the brushstrokes, and as they recognize light and darkness, all in relationship to one another, to bring to life the Most Honored and Blessed Face, God would imprint in their hearts the steps of this journey that will, in the end, help them in their own spiritual lives and search for the Divine.

Ikonokids 2005
This summer we worked on more complex projects, Sebastian, Lucas and Catalina decided they wanted to work on a bigger Icon and I wanted to try experimenting on mixing pigments and acrylic base for a modified technique that would have the same look of egg tempera but a shorter drying time. We used clay and 23 Kt gold leaf and silver leaf for gilding; also for details of gold assist we made gold paint, for varnish we used a water down mix of matte acrylic medium.

Catalina chose the Mother of God of St Seraphim Icon, Lucas chose an Icon of St Luke the Evangelist for his prototype, and Sebastian had previously worked on the tracing of an Image of St Anthony the Great, and now was ready to continue with his project.

Since Catalina was in town for only a few weeks from Chile we had to schedule our work to have sessions a couple of times a week, but then we ended up working a little bit every day in a more individual way so they could have more guidance and help from me.

I gave them detailed directions of the steps, and tasks, then I would show them how to work, then they would work on their own, and I would come back to help them or fix any line or area that needed correction or improvement.

Catalina’s Icon was much more difficult and had more work so I had to help her a little more specially with the lights of the face and some of the gold work on the garments.

Acrylics and pigment mix behaved very different than egg tempera, the paint was more transparent and viscous, we usually had to add more water to the previously mixed pigment and medium, to a float consistency, and ended up using a modified float technique instead of glace or dry brush, lights where applied in successive layers as traditional.

This year working with the children was more challenging , I had to adjust my expectations as their l tastes and personality become more individual, and some times I had to remind them of their commitment to finish the Icon, they often chose doing other things but when they where ready to work ,they did very well and with eagerness.

Sometimes they laugh and some others they got frustrated when the task seemed too hard, I had to be readily available to remind them that we are all learning and that any mistake could be fixed.

By the Time Catalina left to go back to Chile, she had finished as well as Sebastian; only the calligraphy on St Luke’s Icon was left to be finished by Lucas.

The sun of summer did not get out till they where all finished with their painting, so the rest of the summer was Pool time most of the time and a few excursions and outings.

I feel humbled by the beauty of their works of art, for their commitment to finish and for their willingness to receive instructions and follow procedures. They think these Icons are their best works so far and they are very proud of their efforts and the results.

Ikonokids 2004
The summer of 2004 (more text needed)
We started our sessions of 3 hours with the ICONOGRAPHERS PRAYER and lighted a candle and incense. Lucas and Catalina used two different Images of Christ the Savior . I had previously prepared the little panels with acrylic gesso.

Mother and Child

by Catalina,10

Our Lady Of the Golden Hand

by Juan Francisco,8 years

Archangel Gabiel,

by Sebastian,10 years

Cristo con pelo dorado,

by Lucas,9 years

St George and the Dragon,

by Lucas,9 years

St George and the dragon

by Sebastian and Ina

IMAGES OF OUR SAVIOUR
by the Ikonokids Workshop!

Catalina's Saviour

Catalina's SAVIOUR in progres

Lucas's Saviour

Lucas's SAVIOUR in progress

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