The Blessed Virgin Mary
and St Dunstan
Studio of Christian Art
The studio is intended to be in a modest way a centre for the pursuit of excellence for the visual arts in the service of the Catholic Church and broader Christianity.
Learn technique
Our ambition is to provide facilities for artists to work here and to provide a variety of courses of a practical nature such as:
- Icon painting
- preparation of boards for icon painting
- gold leaf techniques
- mosaic
- sculpture
- woodwork
- pottery
- stained glass
- and other media.
The Studio was inaugurated by Abbot Dominic Taylor on the feast of St. Luke the evangelist and artist on 18 October of 2022.
Study: Art and Architecture for Liturgy
Alongside the practical courses we offer a curriculum providing for theoretical and theological studies which will complement the practical teaching. This combination of study and practice we hope will be of interest to artists, architects and those commissioning ecclesiastical art, including clerics and diocesan officials. Initial course offerings have begun. We are now developing a curriculum towards a diploma. Read more about the developing curriculum toward a diploma here.
Media
Watch the inaugural lecture given by Prof. Dr Basilius “Bert” Groen on this page.
People
Mrs Maxina Studnik is the Lay Director of the Studio. She is a graduate of Middle-Eastern studies and comparative religion. She came to icon painting through our short courses and is now a student of Aidan Hart. Maxina has a bakground in marketing and management in industry and is a company director.
Fr Peter Burns OSB is the monk Director and representative of Abbot Dominic. Dom Peter is a monk of the abbey and has earned a BA in fine art specialising in painting.
This is “an answer to prayer”, by Fr Peter Burns OSB.