Image: Sigiriya
Image: Peter Harris / Harry Bertoia, Altarpiece Commissioned for Eero Saarinen Chapel, MIT
Sacred Art
Painting workshop
I led a three-part workshop series on sacred art traditions at St. James' Episcopal Church, exploring the technical mastery and spiritual significance of Italian Renaissance painting techniques.
Drawing from my formal painting training at Accademia Italiana in Florence, I guided participants through both theoretical understanding and hands-on application of these historical methods.
The second session delved into the intersection of folk traditions and formal techniques, examining icon creation, altar aesthetics, devotional images, and ritual symbolism across cultures. We explored retablos, architectural integration, and the technical mastery of light and shadow representation that defines Renaissance works.
I integrated my firsthand experiences exploring Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, highlighting parallels between Eastern and Western sacred artistic traditions.
One of the most rewarding aspects was witnessing participants reveal their paintings and hearing the personal stories behind their choices of subject and technique. Despite my intimidation presenting to several priests in the audience, the evening was a generous exchange of artistic expression and spiritual reflection.
This workshop series was a way to play with the concept of knowledge transfer. By connecting Renaissance techniques to today, participants gained both practical skills and a deeper understanding of art's role in meaning-making across civilizations.
I remain deeply grateful to St. James' Episcopal Church for providing both the space and community trust necessary for this exploration. The idea was to examine the movement of culture across barriers of time, space and discipline… to inspire, inform and connect.
Project themes: Reflective Practice, Knowledge Transfer, Integration of Technical and Cultural Systems.