Brother Claude Lane, O.S.B., Iconographer

Biographical Information
Brother Claude Lane is a Benedictine monk of Mount Angel Abbey and their full-time iconographer since 1991. Mount Angel is a Benedictine monastery that is a sister to our own Conception Abbey. It is located at the eastern edge of the beautiful Willamette Valley, about an hour’s drive south of Portland.

Brother Claude has been drawing and painting since childhood. He entered Mount Angel in 1972 and made his vows in 1974 at the age of twenty-one. In 1985, Abbot Bonaventure encouraged him to try iconography. He works primarily in acrylic, although he has used egg tempera and wax encaustic. He has written over a hundred icons. Unlike most iconographers who exactly copy outlines provided by ancient tradition, Claude prefers to follow the style of classic iconography while creating original images from multiple sources of inspiration. He draws upon Roman Catholic concepts in his art in addition to Orthodox ones.

Brother Claude was instrumental in the establishment of the Mount Angel Abbey Iconography Institute, an annual week-long training experience for iconographers since 1986.

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