The icons featured on this site are the work of an English icon painter, Helen McIldowie-Jenkins. For over 17 years, Helen has undertaken many public and private commissions for various churches, institutions and individuals in the UK and overseas, especially in the US. Whilst many of the commissions are for archetypal Byzantine and Russian images - usually requested for special occasions, such as Ordinations, Baptisms and Memorials. Helen has also composed many new icons to meet specific devotional functions and where no prototype now exists, i.e., Anglo-Saxon Saints of the pre-schism church. These contemporary commissions are an opportunity for the continuity of the universal spiritual precepts of icon painting and for the iconographic development of the English spiritual tradition.

Helen has travelled to various parts of mainland Greece, Northern and Southern Cyprus, Istanbul, Ravenna and Sicily to study Byzantine art and icons and has most recently made several trips to St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt.

The Sinaitic icons will be the focus of 'Icon Adventures' – specialist art-history and icon painting holidays to Sinai that will be offered from late 2009. (For more information please contact info@elenisicons.co.uk)

Much of Helen's work has been overseen by the critical eye of the Orthodox priest and writer, Fr Andrew Phillips, who particularly encourages new icons to be painted of the early saints of East Anglia and Britain and has commissioned 'new' icons of these from Helen for the Orthodox church of St. John the Wonder Worker, Colchester.

As well as lecturing to various societies, Helen also teaches icon painting and gilding to groups and individuals focusing on the specialist medieval panel painting techniques of gesso preparation, water gilding and the use of egg tempera as the painting medium. This practical tuition is in relation to the art historical context of icons and the development of Byzantine art in the West. The objective of the icon painting classes is to achieve a continuity of tradition and to maintain the spiritual function and Presence of icons.

Helen has a background in Fine Arts and Art History and has worked in museum and adult education environments, the interior design industry and more recently with the Woodard Corporation of Schools as their official icon painter and Artist in Residence.

Following her first class BA Honours degree in Art History, Helen was awarded the Edmund J. Safra Scholarship to the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2006 to study her Masters Degree. Her Dissertation investigated an unusual form of Crucifixion iconography.

Helen's studio is located in North-West London. Her recent commissions include a 14 panel original series of Stations of the Cross for St. Mary’s church in Attleborough, Norfolk and icons for the chapel at the Cathedral School, Cardiff.

Helen is also the Icon Consultant at MacDougall's Art, the leading Russian art auction house based in London. MacDougall's holds two auctions a year of Russian Art and Icons and is now the largest, exclusive auction house for Russian icons in the world.
www.macdougallauction.com

To enquire about icon painting or gilding tuition or to arrange a studio visit please telephone 020 8452 7660 or email info@elenisicons.co.uk

Helen has been privileged to receive numerous icon and religious art commissions since 1992:

1. Memorial Icon of Christ for St. Edmunds RC church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
2. Icon of St. Edmund for Orthodox church of St. Phillips, Felixstowe
3. Icon for RAF chapel, W. Germany
4. Icon for St. John’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
5. Icon for Bishop of Gibraltar
6. Icon for school in Northampton
7. Altarpiece for St. John’s RC church Mildenhall, Suffolk
8. Series of Festive icons for Catholic ministry
9. Icons of Our Lady of Walsingham and St. Edmund for St Edmund's Episcopal Church, Wisconsin, USA
10. Altarpiece for sanctuary of Orthodox church of St. John the Wonder Worker, Colchester, Essex
11. Series of East Anglian Anglo-Saxon saints for chapel iconostasis of British Saints, Orthodox church of St. John the Wonder Worker, Colchester, Essex
12. Altarpiece icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour for Redemptorist Mission church, Harare, Zimbabwe
13. Restoration of church statues for St. Edmunds RC church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
14. Icon of Resurrection for Catholic convent chapel
15. Icon for St. Edmunds RC church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
16. Interior design of St. Phillips Orthodox church, Felixstowe, Suffolk
17. Restoration of Reredos and Font for St. John’s church, Bury St. Edmunds
18. Illustrations of icons for prayer book in aid of Cystic Fibrosis
19. Icon of St. Demetrios for Orthodox church of St. Helen of Colchester, Colchester, Essex.
20. Icon of Vladimirskaya for St. Mary’s church, Newmarket, Suffolk
21. Icon St. Catherine of Alexandria commissioned for philosopher and economist
22. Dedicatory icon and Memorial icon for Chapel of the Cathedral School, Llandaff, Cardiff
23. Stations of the Cross series of 14 panels for St. Mary’s church, Attleborough, Norfolk
24. Icon of Annunciation for art historian, US
25. Icon of Theotokos for Marianist Community, Dayton, Ohio
26. Icon of Prophet Elijah – Ordination gift
27. Icon of Blessed Silence – private clerical commission
28. Triptych of Christ Enthroned, Theotokos and Baptist – Ordination gift
29. Diptych of Theotokos with St. Nicholas et al – private clerical commission Exhibitions

2001 Christian Art Exhibition, St. Mary’s Church, Suffolk
2008 Solo exhibition, St. Mary’s Church, Suffolk
2009 Courtauld Association Exhibition, The Arts Club, Mayfair, London