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Blog | 22.01.2025

Interview with Aidan Hart

Read our interview with Aidan Hart, a mural artist using KEIM Design Lasur to paint Orthodox icons. For the past five years, all his wall paintings have been done with KEIM Design Lasur.

 

Photo credit: Aidan Hart

Website: www.aidanharticons.com

Instagram: aidanharticons

How did you come to your current profession?

After completing a degree in English literature and mathematics in 1978, I became a sculptor, with a particular love for modelling the human face. My search for examples of artwork that revealed something of the profound depths of the human person led me to the icon tradition of the Orthodox Church. I became Orthodox and began to receive commissions to carve icons in wood, and a little later, also to paint them in egg tempera.

As all my work was to commission, I responded to the need of each commission by learning to use whatever medium that was best suited for that job. In this way over the years, I learned also to do stone carving, mosaic, and various wall painting techniques.   My first wall paintings were in fresco (that is, painted onto fresh lime plaster).  I then began also to use secco (painting onto dry plaster), usually using casein and egg. For the past five years or so, all my wall painting has done with Keim’s Design-Lasur. Its permanence and translucency have made it a revelation and joy to use.  

What inspires you?

I want my art to be a portal between heaven and earth, to be part of people’s daily life and ritual of worship, to manifest something of the dignity and beauty of the human person. But I want to make icons that reflect not only beauty, but also the struggle required to regain that beauty. This is why the icon tradition of almost two thousand years is my main source of inspiration. This includes the Romanesque period of Western Europe as well as the Byzantine tradition of the East.

What is the process of preparing a project? How long does a project take on average?

The commissioner, usually the parish priest, approaches me and says what areas of his church he wants painted. Sometimes they have an idea of the subject matter, sometimes not. I then visit the church, discuss possible subject matter, and prepare initial designs and a quote. Usually, using Photoshop, I integrate the colour design into a photo of the interior. This gives people a clearer idea of how the finished work will look. Once we have agreed the design, the parish seeks the necessary planning permissions.

When permission has been received, with a KEIM technical adviser I then examine the wall to see if any preparatory work is required, and the adviser sends a recommendation.

Once the scaffold is up, I usually begin by sketching the design or else stick-up full-size drawings of the figures and shift them around or change their dimensions until I am happy. I then trace the outlines and begin painting.

The large scale of most works usually allows me to employ an apprentice and some past students, so they learn new skills.

From the initial enquiry until completion is usually about two years. The time spent actually painting depends of course on the area to be covered but is usually between two and six weeks. I have a pending commission which will probably take three of us about ten months to paint.

β€œLongevity and robustness are important to me, so I love the fact that silicate paints become part of the wall and are not a mere skin.” 

 

What are the biggest challenges? How do you overcome them?

So much of the success of the final work depends on the initial design. One of my first challenges is to draw on the great wisdom of the icon tradition while not merely copying it. A combination of humility, courage, and careful thought is needed.

The next challenge when painting is to decide how much detail to work into the mural. A panel icon is seen and used up close and therefore requires a lot of detail. A mural in a church, on the other hand, is one big icon which people experience as a single and large whole. A broader and simplified form therefore tends to work best. To ensure the balance is right, I need to keep standing back and looking at the work from a distance.

I usually use a mural project as an opportunity to train my students. The challenge is to manage them so that I am extending their skill base while not asking them to do work that is beyond their capacity and experience.

What has been your best project so far?

One of my favourite projects is the chapel of a hermitage in Shropshire, where I lived as a monk for about six years. I first restored the stone barn, then laid a wooden mosaic floor, installed a paneled ceiling, made the oak icon screen and its panel icons in egg tempera, and finally frescoed all four walls. My next favourite is probably the apse of St Christopher’s Roman Catholic church in Codsall, painted using KEIM Design-Lasur.  

What do you like most about your work?

The joy of hearing people’s feedback, that through my liturgical art they feel closer to God and to the beauty of this world. I don’t sign any of my work. After the work is completed, I just want to get out of the way and let the work do its work!   

β€œIts performance and translucency have made it a revelation and joy to use.” 

What excites you about our colours?

Longevity and robustness are important to me, so I love the fact that silicate paints become part of the wall and are not a mere skin. I also love the fact that KEIM Design-Lasur colours can be applied in translucent layers. Moreover, since the paint dries so quickly, these layers can be applied one on top of the other within a few minutes. The colours available are versatile. Although some of the paints are too bright  to use in their pure state for my church work, I always find that I can get the right tone by mixing two or more of the hues .

Which KEIM product do you prefer to work with?

For the actual artistic painting, it is always KEIM Design-Lasur, and usually on a base of white KEIM Innostar.

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