CRETE | Byzantine Woodcut with Fotis Varthis
January 4, 2025
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THIS RESIDENCY IS NOW OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS ~ NEW ~ Byzantine Woodcut Printmaking with Fotis Varthis A Summer Art Workshop in Galini, South
THIS RESIDENCY IS NOW OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS ~ NEW ~ Byzantine Woodcut Printmaking with Fotis Varthis A Summer Art Workshop in Galini, South
Another beautiful Summer School with George Kordis was held this past year. With three days in Athens and a week on the island of
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This August, Writing the Light is offering a new creative immersion in the quiet village of Galini, along the sea in southeastern Crete. From August 4–8, we invite artists and iconographers to take part in a Byzantine woodcut printmaking workshop led by master iconographer George Kordis and renowned printmaker Fotis Varthis.
The theme for the week will be St. George and the Dragon ~ a powerful narrative of courage and transformation, rich in visual drama and symbolic meaning. Students will explore how this archetypal subject can be brought to life through the traditional woodcut medium. With its emphasis on carved line, dramatic contrast, and the balance of form, woodcut printmaking offers an ideal entry into understanding Byzantine rhythm and lighting and students will learn how to shape a composition with both Byzantine structure and rhythmic line.
We’re honored to welcome Fotis Varthis to a specialized residency as he serves as a core teacher of printmaking at Eikonourgia Studio in Athens and a longtime collaborator with George Kordis. Varthis is known for his exceptional technique and expressive sensitivity in his work. Participants will receive in-depth instruction in every phase of the process—from introductory sketching and drawing to carving, inking and to the completion with hand-press printing.
George Kordis will offer the initial compositional and thematic guidance of the drawing design rooted in the Byzantine visual system, helping students explore how the narrative can be reimagined through line, light, and rhythm.
The workshop will be held in a light-filled studio space that opens out onto sweeping views of the Libyan Sea, in the serene small village of Galini, the setting itself is part of the experience—quiet, timeless, and immersed in nature. Just a three-minute walk from the studio, we can share our meals at a seaside taverna, where fresh local food and the sea also become part of the daily creative flow.
This region of southern Crete remains one of the island’s most unspoiled treasures, offering not only beauty but a sense of rootedness and calm. Whether you’re new to printmaking or returning to deepen your practice, this workshop offers a rare opportunity to explore a classic theme through the beauty of woodcut, in an environment that nourishes both art and soul.
We welcome your questions and we hope to have you join us in Crete this summer.
Remaining space is limited.
These pieces reflect his deep engagement with sacred form, archetypal narrative, and the expressive power of the woodcut (and wood engraving) medium. Through carved line and bold contrast, Varthis evokes a sense of inner stillness and spiritual resonance that speaks directly to our upcoming workshop. His work a glimpse into the visual language that participants will engage with during the workshop—rooted in tradition, yet undeniably contemporary in energy and expression.
