Degree Show 2024: Meet the Graduates - Elijah Turrell

Introduce yourself and your work. What ideas and themes are important to you?

I am a Liturgical Artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I began painting icons with Dr. Irina Bradley in 2017. I was serving in the US Navy and stationed in Spain when I found her classes online. I would fly up to London a few times a year to take her courses. After moving to Seattle, I continued to paint and eventually applied to the School of Traditional Arts. My work mainly focuses on Orthodox Iconography or the spiritual life in general. My faith is extremely important to me and that bubbles over through my creativity.

What materials do you use? Why have you chosen to work with these materials?

I mostly work in Egg Tempera. This is the most common medium for Orthodox Icons, but it is also just simply fantastic to work with. It is very versatile in how you can apply it which gives you so much freedom to explore. In the MA programme, I’ve learned to use glair and watercolor in manuscript illumination and discovered a love for calligraphy. I have also started exploring stone carving and mosaic work.

What drew you to the School, and what do you want to remember about these last two years?

I learned about the school from taking Irina Bradley’s icon classes. I love that the programme allows us to explore faith and tradition in our work. Traditional methods also tend to be more sustainable and environmentally-friendly. But what I want to remember most is the friendships of my classmates. Watching them work and listening to their ideas is so inspiring! I am continually in awe of what they do.

Professionally, what are your hopes and goals?

My goal is to work full-time as an artist. The next few years will be working on making icons and becoming better at carving and mosaics. I would love to eventually move into architectural work, doing mosaics for churches and monasteries.