Byzantine Icon Painting Masterclass
Sunday 11th October - Friday 16th October 2025. Masterclass takes place 10am-4pm Monday to Friday.
Available spaces
Master iconographer and experienced retreat leader Peter Murphy will team up with North Yorks Art School to deliver a five-day Byzantine Icon Painting course at Cober Hill, Scarborough from Sunday 11th October - Friday 16th October 2026. This course is suitable for beginners, but more seasoned artists are welcome. The subject of the course will be an icon of the head of Christ in the traditional Byzantine style. Over the course of the week, students will learn how to gild and paint on a specially prepared wooden panel using traditional medieval techniques and materials. This will include ‘water gilding’, with 24-carat gold leaf over clay bole for backgrounds and halos. Students will also learn how to use egg tempera paint made fresh each day from free range egg yolks. Natural pigments will be used to model robes and figures etc. Course Materials All necessary materials are included in the course fee, ensuring participants have access to high-quality tools and supplies, including: - A handmade, gessoed Serbian lime wood icon panel. - 24-carat gold leaf for gilding. - Organic mineral pigments for paint preparation. - Specialist gilding tools and professional-grade paintbrushes. - Step-by-step worksheets to guide the process. About the Tutor Peter Murphy was born in Leeds and was educated at the University of East London. He trained with iconographer Guillem Ramos Poqui in London. He was Vice Chairman of the Society of Tempera Painters and is a member of the British Association of Iconographers. He has been commissioned by a number of churches in the UK and has also been employed by a number of museums and has recently undertaken three major commissions for Hereford Cathedral. For more information about Peter and his work, please visit: petermurphyicons.co.uk This Masterclass includes a full board five-night stay at Cober Hill, just outside Scarborough. Cober Hill is a Victorian mansion, steeped in history and set in acres of stunning grounds. Check-in from 3pm on Sunday 11th October 2026. Check-out by 10.30am Friday 16th October 2026.
Cancellation Policy
All residentials are priced including VAT charged at 20%. By completing this purchase you are securing a place for a residential, including full board accommodation at Cober Hill. We understand that plans can change, so we’ve outlined our cancellation and rescheduling policies for our residentials to ensure clarity and flexibility. At North Yorks Art School (NYAS), we incur a number of costs as soon as a residential booking is made — including venue, tutor, bank charges and administration fees. Unfortunately, due to the increasing number of cancellations, we now need to pass on a portion of these costs to customers when cancellations occur. Rescheduling Your Booking You can reschedule your booking up to 8 weeks before the start date of your residential free of charge — provided you transfer your place to another NYAS residential event taking place at Cober Hill (subject to availability). Reschedules outside of this time will be subject to a 10% booking fee. We will confirm the change in writing and transfer your place accordingly. Cancellations & Refunds If you choose to cancel your booking rather than reschedule, the following cancellation fees will apply: Over 6 Months 90% Refund 4 to 6 months 80% refund 2 to 4 months 70% refund 31 to 60 days 50% refund 30 days or less No refund Refunds will be processed to your original payment method within 3–5 business days once the cancellation is confirmed. Your Right to Cancel (Cooling-Off Period) If you live in the UK or EU, you are entitled to a 14-day cancellation window from the date of booking. Within this period, you may cancel for a full refund without providing a reason. To exercise this right, contact us at info@bookaclass.org within the 14-day period. Refunds will be processed to your original payment method. For all booking-related enquiries, rescheduling requests or cancellations, please email: info@bookaclass.org