Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko will instruct aspiring and experienced iconographers in the egg tempera Russo-Byzantine style of iconography, endeavoring to teach not only craft and technique but also the prayerful attitude required in executing this art.

Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko and his wife, Matushka Tatiana, established the Saints Alypij and Andrew Rublew Icon Studio in 1996. The icon painters of the studio are dedicated to reviving this ancient art. The Polataikos were born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine and both graduated with B.F.A degrees: Fr. Nazari from Kosiv and Matushka from Vyznytcia Art College in Ukraine.

Protodeacon Nazari studied the basics of iconography by copying antique icons from his father’s collection and visiting the renowned iconographer, Archimandrite Zinon, in Pskov. Later he learned advanced iconographic technique from Dmitri Andreyev, of the Prosopon School in New York, and by visiting iconography studios all over Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Protodeacon Nazari shared his discoveries with his wife and, together, they have been writing icons for almost 15 years. Their work can be seen in several churches in Ukraine, and in numerous churches across Canada and the United States. They can also be found in the private chapels of His All Holiness Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv, Ukraine, and Metropolitan Wasylij of Winnipeg (of blessed memory). The icons from this studio are written in a Russo-Byzantine style, and all are written in egg tempera and gold leaf, using traditional materials and techniques.

The most recent large projects that the Polataikos have undertaken include: decorating the dome of St. George's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Dauphin, Manitoba; a series of icons of Ukrainian saints (an ongoing project); and an iconostas for Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Speden, Alberta. Most recently Fr. Nazari and Matushka completed work on the iconostas of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Vegreville, Alberta.

The workshop this summer will also include and end with presentations on ecclesiastical architecture by Mr. Andrew Gould, on Saturday, June 25th. Mr. Gould works in partnership with George Holt at the firm New Byzantine World, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mr. Gould is becoming known nationwide as a designer of traditional Orthodox churches. His built works include Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and he has designed churches pending construction in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It is Mr. Gould's hope that he can help guide the Orthodox churches of this country to develop an architecture of their own. "This style," he says, "must be one that is worthy of the glorious tradition of Byzantium and Medieval Russia, without abandoning the building traditions indigenous to our own land." 

Mr. Gould studied Art History at Tufts University and the Arts and Crafts Movement at University College London. He has a master's degree in architecture from University of Pennsylvania. A craftsman as much as a designer, he is skilled in wood carving and other decorative arts. In addition to Orthodox churches, he specializes in urban infill development and the design of new "old" houses.

ICONOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (includes Architecture Seminar): Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Schedule

ARCHITECTURE SEMINAR ALONE, INCLUDING LUNCH, $10: Registration • Seminar Description & Schedule

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