Hosted on the beautiful campus of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, Encountering God: The Art of Iconography is an opportunity for prayer, fellowship, and instruction in iconography. Through this week-long retreat, led by two experienced iconographers, you are invited to enter into the long and rich Christian tradition of iconography.
Iconography is a discipline of hand, heart, and mind that focuses one’s attention on Christ, a saint, or biblical event. The aim is not merely to illustrate a biblical subject, but to encounter God in deep and fresh ways.
Participants may choose one of two tracks:
Byzantine-Style Icon Writing with Christine Hales will introduce you to Byzantine style iconography.
In addition to the practice of iconography, we will explore its history and theology, with instruction from Dr. Lauren Whitnah, Dean of Nashotah House; Dr. Jim Watkins, Affiliate Professor of Theological Aesthetics at Nashotah House; and Dr. Robyn Wrigley-Carr, Associate Professor in Spirituality and Spiritual Care at the University of Divinity in Australia.
Open to iconographers of all skill levels, this retreat will guide beginners every step of the way while also offering more advanced instruction to those with more experience.
Participants in the painting track will use traditional materials of egg tempera, natural pigments, specially prepared icon board, and gold leaf gilding. By the end of the week, you will complete an icon.
Christine Simoneau Hales has a BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art, an MS in Art Therapy from the College of New Rochelle with post graduate theological studies. Christine is a well loved and popular iconography instructor who teaches in seminaries, monasteries, universities and online.
She is the founder of The American Association of Iconographers and writes a monthly blog to share the joy of icon writing with others outside of her community.
In addition to creating large Byzantine Icon panels for several churches, she has also completed many portable Icons for private collections. Her highly acclaimed book “Eyes of Fire, How Icons Saved My Life as an Artist” is available on Amazon.
Christine has shown her work in many locations. A large exhibition of her work will be on display at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Spring of 2025. She has led many retreats in the United States and internationally. Her icons are often represented in the Anglican Digest. Christine and her husband worship at Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, Florida.
Participants in the wood relief carving track will endeavor to integrate prayer and world. Every stroke in your carving is offered for the future recipient of the icon. You will use Swiss Phizel tools and Northern Basewood to carve an icon of St. Julian of Norwich. As you meditate on Julian’s words, “All shall be well and in all manner of things all shall be well,” you will live into God’s gracious provision.
Bishop Trevor Walters was ordained in Salisbury Cathedral in 1978 and shipped off to Calgary to a parish as a Curate. In 1981, he became the University Chaplain at the University of Calgary. In 1991, he went to St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Abbotsford as the Rector. He was consecrated in 2011 and served until 2021 as an Area Bishop in Western Canada.
He is the author of EAS Syndrome: Healing Burnout in Adults Lacking Parental Affirmation (Anglican House, 2016) and The Power of Christian Mediation (Anglican House, 2018). He has produced numberous wood relief icons, and his icons have been shown in Kampala, Uganda; Durham, England; Vancouver, Canada; Loveland, CO; and many other locations.
His wife of over 30 years, Julie, died in February 2007 when he was 58 years old. He married Dede in March 2011 and now has six children and three grandchildren.
Dr. Lauren Whitnah is Dean of Nashotah House. Trained as a medieval historian, she served on the teaching faculty of the University of Tennessee from 2014-2023. Whitnah holds a PhD in Medieval Studies and Master of Medieval Studies, both from the University of Notre Dame; a Master of Studies in History from the University of Oxford; and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Gordon College.
Dr. Jim Watkins is Affiliate Professor of Theological Aesthetics and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Nashotah House. He holds a PhD in Theological Aesthetics from the University of St Andrews; a Masters degree in Christianity and the Arts from Regent College; and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Wheaton College. He is the author of Creativity as Sacrifice: Toward a Theological Model for Creativity in the Arts (Fortress, 2015).
Dr. Robyn Wrigley-Carr is the keynote speaker for the Breck Conference on June 18-20, 2025 at Nashotah House. Iconography retreat participants will have the opportunity to hear two of Dr. Wrigley Carr’s lectures on “The Monastic Ideal of Evelyn Underhill”. Dr. Wrigley-Carr is Associate Professor in Spirituality and Spiritual Care at the University of Divinity in Australia. Her PhD (University of St. Andrews, Scotland) examined Baron Friedrich von Hügel as a spiritual director. Subsequent research has focused upon the writings of Evelyn Underhill, one of von Hügel’s spiritual directees. Dr. Wrigley-Carr is the author of The Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill (2020) and Music of Eternity: Meditations for Advent with Evelyn Underhill (The Archbishop of York’s Advent Book, 2021). She discovered and edited Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book (2018). Alongside an extensive list of journal publications in highly ranked journals, Dr. Wrigley-Carr has been a guest on Renovaré podcasts (USA), Church House (UK) and ABC’s God Forbid (Australia). Dr. Wrigley-Carr is a spiritual director who leads spiritual retreats in Australia and England and she led The Evelyn Underhill Association’s Quiet Day in Washington,D.C., in 2024. She is a member of the Executive Committee for the International Network for the Study of Spirituality and on the editorial board and book reviews editor for the Journal for the Study of Spirituality.
Cost: $880
Registration fee covers the cost of the icon workshop, lectures, meals, and all necessary supplies. Register by May 5 to secure your spot.
On-Campus Housing
Please complete this form to request on-campus accommodations. Housing on campus is limited during the summer and offered on a “first come, first served” basis.
Off-Campus Housing
We have relationships with several local hotels that allow visiting guests to book rooms at discounted rates. Let the hotel know you are with Nashotah House when booking your room.
Please contact Joy Wint with questions at jwint@nashotah.edu.
