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New! 5-Day Nativity Icon Painting Residency in Boston ~
December 1 – 5, 2026
THE NATIVITY ICON
A Five-Day Icon Painting Residency with George Kordis
Winchester, Massachusetts
In the quiet weeks leading toward Christmas, we invite you to a special five-day residency with master artist and iconographer George Kordis, devoted to the painting and contemplation of the Nativity of Christ.
Held at the beautiful Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts (a close suburb of Boston) this residency offers a unique opportunity to step away from the pace of everyday life and spend a week immersed in the visual language of the icon during the season of Advent.
Over five days (Tuesday through Saturday), participants will work with Dr. Kordis to compose and paint an icon of the Nativity using his distinctive dry egg tempera technique and the principles of the Byzantine system of painting—rhythm, line, movement, relationship, and color.
FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERIENCED ICONOGRAPHERS
The residency is intentionally structured to welcome both those newer to icon painting and more advanced students.
Those encountering Dr. Kordis’s approach for the first time will be introduced to the fundamental principles of the Byzantine visual language and egg tempera techniques, with preliminary guidance in drawing, composition, color, and building the presence of the painted image.
More experienced students will have the opportunity to work at a deeper level with composition, color relationships, and the distinctive underpainting methods that Dr. Kordis has developed and refined over several decades. Advanced Certificate students and post-graduate students (3rd year and above) will have the opportunity to work on a sketch prior of the theme prior to the residency if they wish with Kordis’s feedback, to come prepared.
Through in-depth demonstrations, guided exercises, individual observation, and sustained studio practice, students will write the icon from its initial structure through the successive stages of painting. While basic drawing instruction will be included, the greater part of the week will be devoted to the painting process itself.
THE NATIVITY: IMAGE, THEOLOGY & ADVENT
The Nativity is among the richest and most profound images within the Byzantine tradition. Its landscape, figures, gestures, movement, and relationships draw together the mystery of the Incarnation: the meeting of heaven and earth and the entrance of Christ into the human condition.
Studying this icon during Advent gives the week a particular character. Participants will be encouraged to understand how the icon communicates through its visual language—and how an inherited tradition can remain alive, creative, and meaningful in the hands of a contemporary painter.
Alongside the daily studio sessions, Dr. Kordis will offer short lectures, reflections, and informal discussions touching upon the history and theology of the icon, creativity within tradition, and the artistic process.
As with all Writing the Light residencies, the week is also shaped by the community that develops around the work: conversation, friendship, optional shared meals and the experience of learning together. In this sense, the residency offers something of both a serious artistic intensive and an Advent retreat.
Students are encouraged to visit the Church of St. Catherine in Braintree, Massachusetts (about an hour’s drive from Winchester) which Kordis has painted.
THE SETTING
The Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts provides a peaceful and welcoming setting for the residency, within easy reach of Boston and its rich cultural and historic surroundings.
RESIDENCY STRUCTURE
Daily sessions will run from 9:00 am–4:00 pm, with a one-hour lunch break at noon. There are numerous cafés and eateries within walking distance of the church. The last day of Saturday we will end soon after lunch with the focus solely on cleanup from 2pm on.
Participants can also look forward to an informal (optional) evening gathering with Dr. Kordis during the week at a local Winchester restaurant on Wednesday evening.
Five days of painting.
Five days of looking more deeply.
A week devoted to the Nativity of Christ at the threshold of Christmas.
We look forward to gathering for this very special Advent residency with George Kordis.
MATERIALS
All pigments, paper, emulsion and appropriate icon-board will be provided. Students are asked to bring their own brushes, and drawing materials. More information is shared at registration.
Tuition ~ 750 EUR
Limited to 18 students.
This residency may be counted as a required residency for the Certificate in Iconography Program.
If you only register with the deposit, the second half will be requested in early November.
Note: US RESIDENCIES WITH DR. KORDIS HAVE A LARGE DEMAND IN THE U.S. — please do not delay registration.
Getting There
Students can arrive into Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), which is approximately 12 miles from downtown Winchester. The area is easily accessible by car, taxi, or public transit.
Lodging
There are many lodging options available:
Hotels and Airbnbs in neighboring Woburn (within a short drive to Winchester)
Recommended Hotels – all require a car
- Holiday Inn Express North, Woburn
- 15 minutes from Epiphany Church; near many restaurants, grocery store, and other shopping
- breakfast included
- Crowne Plaza, Woburn
- 12 minutes from Epiphany; near some restaurants and Bus
- no breakfast included
- Extended Stay America
- 13 minutes from Epiphany; several restaurants, grocery store nearby
- grab and go breakfast included
- kitchen in every room
Airbnb
Besides Winchester, here are several options for Airbnb in the town of Arlington, which is next door to Winchester. There are also places available in Medford, which is also not far. Some of these options have more than one bedroom and a kitchen.
Downtown Boston accommodations, with daily commutes possible via the MBTA commuter rail from North Station to Winchester Center Station (taking around 20 minutes leaving each hour), followed by a short 10-minute walk to the church.
Students can book according to their preferences and budgets. We will share a list for possible ride shares or lodging shares to students in early November.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to contact Director Keri Wiederspahn at keri@writingthelight.com.
