VIRTUAL PASSPORTS

Experience Our International Residencies From Your Home Studio

Back by popular demand!

Have you ever wished you could travel to Greece or attend one of our international workshops, but distance or scheduling made it impossible?

Our Virtual Passport program offers a unique opportunity to experience the richness of an in-person Writing the Light residency from wherever you are in the world. Join George Kordis and our international community of artists from your own home studio while gaining inspiration, practical instruction, and personal artistic growth.

Through daily recordings, you’ll step inside each residency—observing demonstrations, following the progression of the work, and sharing in the atmosphere of the experience.

Depending on the residency, your Virtual Passport may include:

• George Kordis’ daily drawing and painting demonstrations
• Daily classroom instruction and discussions
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses into the residency experience
• Virtual visits to selected churches, monasteries, museums, and cultural sites (when included in the residency schedule)
• Opportunities to submit your own work for personalized feedback

When a residency offers more than one project or instructional level, Virtual Passport participants may receive critique on only one subject of their choosing.

Residency Credit for Certificate Students

Students enrolled in the Writing the Light Certificate Program may receive residency credit through participation in a Virtual Passport.

One Virtual Passport residency may be applied toward the Certificate Program’s residency requirement. Any additional Virtual Passports are welcomed as continuing education but do not count toward additional residency credit.

How It Works

Each day’s recordings are uploaded and shared the following day, allowing you to participate at your own pace while following the rhythm of the residency.

Expect an average of approximately 1.5 to 2.5 (or more) hours of new content each day, with some days including additional material.

All recordings are hosted on Vimeo. Each participant receives private access code to a curated viewing portal where the videos may be streamed on demand with indefinite access to viewing.

Available Virtual Passports

The 5th Annual Summer Icon School, August 2026

George Kordis • Crete, Greece

Experience one of our most beloved annual residencies from the beautiful Orthodox Academy of Crete.

Follow the daily progression of the Summer School through George Kordis’s demonstrations, classroom instruction, artistic discussions, and selected cultural excursions as they unfold.  This is not a live class, but will be pre-recorded by one day in order to offer the best viewing experience.

This will include drawing lessons as well as icon painting lessons in the Byzantine System that are central to the experience.

Filming Dates: August 8–17

Delivery: Seven days of recordings, with the first videos released on August 9, followed by new content shared each day thereafter (unless not in session on a particular day).

2026 Summer School Subjects

1. Christ the Archpriest (Beginning Level – single three-quarter figure)
2. The Conversion of St. Paul (Intermediate/Advanced Level – multiple-figure composition)

Tuition includes access to both subjects — a great value.

See the full Summer School description for complete residency details.

Following registration, participants will receive complete instructions for accessing their Virtual Passport through our private Vimeo viewing portal with additional resources.

Choose Your Virtual Passport

REGISTER HERE:

Virtual Passport – Self-Guided – €135

Enjoy the complete Virtual Passport experience at your own pace with unlimited on-demand viewing. This option does not include personalized feedback.

Virtual Passport with Personalized Feedback – €185

Designed for students who would like individual guidance on their work—and required for Certificate Program students wishing to receive residency credit.

Participants may submit:

• One drawing
• Two painting progress photos

for personalized feedback.  This will include a personal Dropbox for your feedback.

NOTE: One can register for the self-guided passport even after the start of Summer School.

You are welcome to work at your own pace and do not need to stay exactly synchronized with the Summer School schedule. However, feedback submissions must be received by August 17, when the residency concludes. A final completed submission may be turned in early September.  Certificate Program students may continue to receive feedback beyond this date in accordance with their program requirements.

Please contact Director Keri Wiederspahn if you have any questions at keri@writingthelight.com.