More about Fr. Jon
In 1996 Jon began learning to write (paint) icons, self taught through books and practice.
In 1999 he took the summer Beginners’ Session at the Iconographic Arts Institute at Mt. Angel, OR., and studied with them for many years.
In 2007, on a European sabbatical, he studied with a number of the current Masters of the medium.
Initially, he studied with Sr. Grisella Cappuccini, a nun/hermit iconographer at the Baddia Monastery in Florence, Italy.
Next, he travelled to Evians les Bains, for two weeklong sessions in Iconography and Byzantine liturgy with the recently deceased Fr. Egon Sendler, S.J. Fr. Sendler is the author of THE ICON: Image of the Invisible, a classic text for Iconography.
In Rome he studied with Prof. Stefanos Armakolas at the Greek College, to experience the Greek technique of icon writing.
Finally, he went to Siena, IT, to study with Sra. Chiara Perinetti Casoni of the Bottega d’Arte, who is a master in the Italo-Byzantine style of the pre-Rennaissance.
In 2009, Fr. Jon finished his sabbatical by traveling to Egypt, the Holy Land, Cappadocia, Greece and other ancient Byzantine homelands to study the historical development of the icon. He visited ancient monasteries and ruins, Cathedrals and museums to find the oldest icons and the changes that time and place have wrought on the traditions.
Fr. Jon has lectured on Icons and Early Church History and given numerous retreats. His icons are in the private collections of His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew, many Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people. They grace Parishes, convents, hospitals and homes on 3 continents, many countries and multiple states.
Contact
Email: frjonb@icloud.com
Phone: 503 680 6902
If you have any questions regarding commissioning an icon, finding a class, the history of Iconography, or even a specific icon that has caught your attention, please feel free to contact me through one of the avenues specified above.
Fr. Buffington was profiled on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Art Beat.
This video was created for Providence Hospital in Portland, OR, for Fr. Buffington’s 25 years as a priest. He retired from Providence in December 2013 after 23 years of chaplaincy there.