NEW: Home Studio Nativity Icon Residency
A Five-Day Immersive Painting Experience with Dr. George Kordis
December 1–5, 2026 | Live via Zoom
Join Dr. George Kordis for a unique five-day Home Studio Residency dedicated to the painting of the Nativity of Christ.
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Designed to bring the experience of an intensive painting residency into the home studio, this special program combines live teaching, drawing and painting demonstrations, independent studio practice, and opportunities for personal guidance and correction.
Throughout the week, Dr. Kordis will explore the Nativity’s theological and artistic dimensions, guiding students through the Byzantine visual system and its expressive possibilities. Participants will work on their own Nativity compositions, developing their understanding of line, rhythm, color, and the relationships that bring an icon to life.
Two participation levels will be available, allowing students to choose between attending daily teaching sessions or undertaking the full immersive residency experience.
Dr. Kordis never repeats an icon, so it will be a totally new composition he creates for this Nativity icon. More experienced students will be encouraged to develop their own compositions and build upon the teachings throughout the week.
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 experience.
Studying this icon during Advent gives the week a particular character. Rather than simply reproducing a traditional composition, 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.
Skill Levels — All Levels Welcome
This residency is open to students of all levels, from beginners exploring Byzantine icon painting to experienced iconographers wishing to deepen their practice. Dr. Kordis will guide participants through the artistic principles and techniques of the Byzantine visual system, allowing each student to engage with the Nativity according to their experience and abilities. Participants in the Full Home Studio Residency will receive individual feedback and corrections tailored to their experience level and artistic development.
THIS SPECIAL ZOOM WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED TO ATTEND ONE OR TWO PARTS:
PART 1 — Live Teaching and Painting
4:00–6:30 PM Athens | 9:00–11:30 AM EST
Open to all registered participants
Each day, Dr. Kordis will lead a 2.5-hour live session exploring the Nativity through discussion, drawing, and painting at his easel.
Sessions will include:
- Exploration of the Nativity’s theological meaning and iconographic tradition.
- Live drawing and painting demonstrations, with Dr. Kordis discussing his artistic decisions and methods.
- Study of composition, line, rhythm, movement, and color within the Byzantine visual system.
- Guidance for independent studio work.
Following Part 1, participants are encouraged to draw or continue painting independently, applying the principles and techniques explored during the demonstration.
PART 2 — Studio Critiques and Corrections
7:30–9:00 PM Athens | 12:30 –2:00 PM EST
Exclusively for Full Home Studio Residency participants — Students taking PART 2 will participate in a full learning structure.
Part 2 provides an opportunity for students to receive direct guidance from Dr. Kordis as their work develops throughout the week. There is a break between part 1 and 2 during the week.
These interactive sessions will include:
- Individual critiques and corrections of work in progress.
- Discussion of compositional, drawing, and painting challenges.
- Opportunities to share work with Dr. Kordis and fellow residency participants.
- Further artistic and theological discussion arising from the day’s work.
- Guidance for the next stage of painting.
Students participating in the Full Home Studio Residency are expected to make a substantial commitment to independent studio practice throughout the five days.
NOTE: The first session of Part 2 will begin on December 2 to allow time for students to work and prepare initial drawings after the first Part 1. It will also have 5 total meeting times – the final feedback session will be held two weeks after the final Part 1 session on Saturday, December 19th to allow additional time for students to complete their icons.
A Commitment to Studio Practice
The Home Studio Residency is conceived as more than a series of online classes. It is an invitation to set aside five days for concentrated artistic practice, creating a dedicated studio environment wherever you are.
Through the rhythm of daily instruction, independent painting, and personal feedback, participants will experience the discipline and continuity of a residency while working from their own studios.
Tuition & Registration
December 1–5, 2026 | Live via Zoom
Two Ways to Participate ~ Two options are available, allowing students to choose the level of engagement that best suits their interests and studio practice.
OPTION I — Part 1: Live Teaching, Discussion & Painting
Tuition: €225
4:00–6:30 PM Athens | 9:00–11:30 AM EST
Includes five days of live teaching with Dr. George Kordis, featuring artistic and theological discussion, drawing and painting demonstrations, along with directives for independent studio practice. This option is ideal for those wishing to study the Nativity, observe Dr. Kordis’s working process, and paint independently at their own pace.
Total: 12.5 hours of live instruction
OPTION II — Full Home Studio Residency: Parts 1 & 2
Tuition: €395
Includes everything in Part 1, plus five ADDITONAL daily interactive sessions dedicated to individual critiques, corrections, more discussion, and feedback on students’ developing Nativity icons. This option is designed for students wishing to undertake a serious, sustained painting project with the benefit of daily personal guidance from Dr. Kordis.
Part 2 Schedule: 7:30–9:00 PM | Athens 13:30–2:00 PM EST
Total: 20 hours of live instruction and critique, together with dedicated independent studio practice throughout the five-day residency.
The first afternoon group feedback session will begin the day after the initial teaching day, and will have its final group session two weeks after the December 5th session to allow students time to complete their icon. It will also be possible to have final feedback by turning in work after the last session if students need even more additional time to complete the icon.
HELD: December 2, 3, 4, & 5th with a final fifth session two weeks later on December 19th.
Students who still have not completed the icon at the final session are welcomed to turn it in when complete for final remarks from Dr. Kordis.
NOTE: Only the Full Home Studio Residency qualifies for full residency credit within the Writing the Light Certificate Program, subject to active participation and completion of the residency requirements by completing the Nativity icon.
Registration is now open for both participation options.
