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Ioana Belcea is an artist based in Princeton, NJ who works in a variety of historic media such as Buon fresco, mosaic, and egg tempera on wood and calf parchment.  Thematically her work is of a liturgical and devotional nature.  Her liturgical art commissions include the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC, St.Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Great Falls VA, St.Mark Catholic Church in Fallston MD, Mount St.Mary's University, Emmitsburg MD, St.Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Frederick MD, Seton High School in Manassas VA, and St.Francis University in Loretto PA.  She holds degrees from Rutgers University (BA in Fine Arts and MA in Spanish Translation).  Belcea also conducts workshops in iconography (Arlington Catholic Herald) and lectures on liturgical art.

COMISSIONS

Dominican House of Studies, Washington DC

Icon of St. Dominic, 

Icon of the Tree of Life 

Siena Academy, Great Falls VA

Icon of the Tree of Life

St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Great Falls VA

Icon of the Baptism of Christ

St. Mark's Catholic Church, Fallston MD

Triptych of the Crucifixion

St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church, Frederick MD

Icon of Katharine Drexel

St. Dominic's Monastery, Linden VA

Icon of the Transfiguration

Mary Queen of Angels, Seton High School, Manassas VA

Movable altar  

Polychrome ornamental painting of the interior

Buon Fresco of Mary Queen of Angels

Buon Fresco of St. Michael

Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, St. Francis University Loretto PA

Polychrome glass and stone mosaic of the Immaculate Conception

CLASSES AND LECTURES

Aquinas Learning, Manassas VA, hands-on art appreciation classes

St. Veronica Church, Chantilly VA,  Byzantine Icon workshop

St. Catherine of Siena Church, Great Falls, VA, Byzantine Icon Workshop

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Byzantine Icon Workshop, Nashville TN

St. Veronica, Chantilly VA, lecture Liturgical Art, Liturgical Space

Truro Anglican Church, Fairfax VA, lecture and exhibit Theotokos in Byzantine Iconography

Mount St. Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg MD, lecture Liturgical Art, Liturgical Space

Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton NJ, guest lecturer

EDUCATION

RUTGERS UNIVESITY

BA in Fine Arts

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

MA in Spainsh Translation

THE FRESCO SCHOOL

Traditional Buon fresco

PROSOPON SCHOOL OF ICONOGRAPHY AND ICONOLOGY

Byzantine Iconography

CHICAGO MOSAIC SCHOOL

Architectural Mosaic

AWARDS

JPII Award for small bronze sculpture,

Biennale Internazionale Dantesca di Ravenna

Ravenna, Italy

TESTIMONIALS

"Ioana’s passion for icons helped me understand how they are not simply beautiful objects, but, as she described them, 'windows to the soul.' She explained how there is always a deeper meaning to be found behind the icon, just as there is always a deeper meaning to be found in our faith. Her understanding about the difference between an icon and a portrait was fascinating and echoed Cardinal Ratzinger’s suggested movement in images. She observed that an icon goes further than a portrait, that 'it brings you back to yourself and back to God.'”  E. Steel, PhD Candidate, Princeton Theological Seminary

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