Lana Woolford

Archangel Gabriel
Egg tempera
25 x 30 x 3.5cm

Biography

Before training as both an iconographer and a priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church, I worked in scientific and medical research. I specialised in optics, and Raman spectroscopy in particular during my doctorate. In my context this was for cancer diagnosis, although I now discover the technique is being used to analyse the material compositions of old icons!

Always taking joy in visual depictions of ‘internal workings’, I then moved into science communication and public involvement with research. This led to a freelance business in scientific and medical animation. Now, I have transferred the love of visual storytelling and ‘the invisible made visible’ into iconography.

I am particularly interested in how visual art meets other narrative elements within Christian liturgies. I trained briefly with the contemporary artist and iconographer Paul Martin before taking up the Iconography Certificate at the School of Traditional Arts. This course has made a deep impact on my journey as an artist, person, Christian and member of the wider liturgical arts community, and I am deeply grateful to Aidan and my course colleagues for the opportunity to explore this remarkable artform.

I am increasingly finding that these seemingly disparate themes of iconography, optics and spectroscopy, priesthood, community, healing and the body are interlinked ‘through the eyes of Christ’, who regards us with compassion.

I now have the privilege of opportunity to explore these themes during full-time ministry in Dundee and Edinburgh for the foreseeable future.