LHQ Gallery at Cork County Library HQ is delighted to host an exhibition of icons by two Cretan iconographers Nikolaos Griniezakis and Eftychia Ilia, and an Irishman, Fr David O’Riordan who has been engaged in the practice of writing icons for over twenty years. This exhibition will be opened by Peadar Ó Riada at 1.30pm on Wednesday, 27th March.

All three of these painters relate how, in particular, they love to work from the darkness to the light, and this seems to have a strong parallel in the very nature of icon painting.

Nikolaos considers the icon to act as an intermediary between man and God.

“The icon helps transport your mind while you are praying, and focuses your mind when you are painting” while Eftychia speaks of how important the daily practice of icon painting is to her life. It is very different to ‘free style’ painting and is governed by rules and traditions that are passed from teacher to student, or apprentice, and through the generations.

“The icon tries to depict a heavenly world outside time and space, and it tries somehow to get across the idea of what the resurrected life might mean”, says Fr David O’Riordan, “Time and the timeless can enrich each other, this is one reason I like the contemplation of icons.”

There will be a workshop on icon painting by Nikolaos and Eftychia on Thursday 28th. This workshop will be free, but places must be booked as there will be a limit of ten places. Please phone 021-4546499 to book your place. This exhibition will run until 26th April.