At the initiative of Alena Martynova

At the initiative of Alena Martynova

About Us

Orthodox Church has everything for people to embrace faith: words, spiritual music, icons, smells, wooden icon frames that you touch in reverence. Each of us perceives information differently. Some prefer visuals and images, others choose sounds, and still others rely on their sense of smell and sensation. In Orthodox Church, the word of God is accessible for everyone.

Icon is a special kind of creative work. Creativity is deeply interconnected with faith, traditions, and history of Orthodoxy.
"Icon is a graphically expressed prayer which is primarily understood through prayer. It is intended only for a praying believer who stands in front of it. Its purpose is to promote prayer, so in this case it is necessary for icon painters to remember praying during their work. Prayer explains a lot about icons even without words, it makes things clearer and closer. It shows how spiritual and irrifutable truth is". By Nun Juliana (M.N. Sokolova) from Icon painter's work.

This year, I've attended a lecture by Aidan Hart, one of the well-known icon painters in the world. With the lecture he completed his series of master classes in iconography at the Catholic University of Calgary. After his lecture on Orthodox icons, a few elderly women came up to me and mentioned sadly: "You Orthodox people are so lucky, you've kept the tradition of icon painting ...".

"Icons today are perhaps the main point of contact between Eastern and Western Christianity in the broader context of dialogue and mutual interests. Hundreds of thousands of people outside of Orthodoxy have passion for icons, they attend exhibitions, purchase albums, and even try to engage in icon-painting". (By Irina Gorbunova-Lomax, icon painter and art critic, from Icon. Truth and Fiction)

It is true that the interest for icons is growing not only in Russia in the wave of the revival of Orthodox Churches and faith. It is also true for those outside of Orthodoxy and us who were cut off from their homeland for one reason or another. It is often said that it's abroad when we seek something familiar for ourselves, something meaningful in a foreign land, and we turn to faith as to a solid foundation. From their first trip to homeland, many bring an icon, a cross, or a prayer book.

In Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries where Christianity is the dominant religion, icons are accessible and ubiquitous. You can buy a printed version of an icon or the one which was actually painted by an icon painter. There have been cases of miracle-working icons that were printed in a plant (Softener of Evil Hearts, Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Mother of God, and others), but these icons had been previously painted by icon painters. Purchasing painted icons is good not only for those who want to have a sacred image at home but also for artists able to serve God and people with their talent.

Orthodox Church welcomes and supports the opportunity, it organizes icon painting schools where a certain icon-painting technique is mastered, and the spiritual and symbolic meaning of any particular icon is revealed.        
Back during the Stoglav Council convened in Moscow in 1551 in order to organize church life under the chairmanship of St. Macarius the Metropolitan of Moscow, a special attention was paid to the issues of iconography and icon painters. Higher supervision after the Stoglav painters was implemented by Metropolitan Archbishops and Bishops who had to hire deliberate masters and instruct them to the nearest supervision after all the icon painters. Bishops are better than laymen when it comes to appreciation of the dignity of an icon expression and its compatibility with ancient tradition as well as its artistic side.
In today's world, these words are as valid as a century ago. Many contemporary artists are trying to understand the skill of icon painting, but they begin with technical issues: how to paint with egg tempera, how to gild, and so on. Many icon painting schools are not only giving master classes and lectures on the history of iconography, they also give lessons on Catechism. So the Church gives lessons of spiritual strength, humility, and wisdom to the ones who dare to find a way of painting icons.

Secrets of iconography are not limited by the knowledge of choosing the right board, mixing pigments with egg emulsion, gilding, and special iconographic lines. Everything comes with knowledge, practice, prayer, and blessing of the Holy Fathers.

Alena Martynova did not strive for creating her workshop for herself. She wanted others to have an opportunity to try iconography. In addition, she was tormented by people's ignorance in the matters of icons and iconography. She came up with a scheme that, we hope, will work without her guidance. Alena knew about her serious illness, and she accepted the fact that she didn't have enough strenth or energy to conduct icon painting lessons. Therefore, she came up with a scheme of a school providing icon painting lessons in Calgary, where students would be taught the basics introducing them to the world of  iconography:
- theology of icons;
- theory of iconography from the works of the nun Juliana (including the history of icon painting);
- exercising working with materials.

She herself was going to give master classes to advanced students from time to time or invite well-known painters for the matter. And then from all the students, she would have gathered an icon-painting workshop that would have worked for churches in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge and satisfied the needs of the Orthodox people (dimensional and worship icons).

Alena is no longer with us, but ...
...the workshop named after Alena Martynova operates. Some icons started by Alena Martynova (Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God, the icon of St. Tatiana Church of All Saints for the city of Calgary) have been finished. The icon of Christ in Majesty with the upcoming Virgin and John the Baptist,  the composition of which was discussed with Alena (there are sketches and notes left), was painted for the Church of St. John Chrysostom.

It was extremely important for Alena Martynova to open the icon-painting school and workshop under the patronage of the Church in order to educate in this noble cause all those people who decided to prove themselves in iconography as their service to God.

Alena Martynova used to say: "A picture can not be finished by anyone other than the artist who conceived it. But an icon must be finished. Icons can not be left unfinished".

Iconography is realized by synod, i.e. together. It can not belong to one person. Going through Alena's sketches and notes, I understand that not all icons conceived by Alena are completed. We have to continue and develop together Alena's work, as the need for an icon painting school is obvious.