Greek art exhibition at Double Bay
Exhibitions

When:

21 Mar 12 - 3 Apr 12

Venue:

Art2Muse Gallery

Where:

357 New South Head Rd, Double Bay, NSW, 2028

Contact:

Katrina Hampton on 0424 809 849 or Email, art2muse, here

Web: www.art2muse.com.au

Greek art exhibition featuring Felicia Aroney and Yanni Souvatzoglou at Art2Muse Gallery

Felicia Aroney

Time is an undercurrent which is felt, seen and heard in Felicia Aroney’s artwork, a reflection of memory, experiences and what she honours in the present. Felicia’s technique and approach to her work is richly layered using oils and acrylics to create depth and a sense of antiquity which evolves the onlooker’s curiosity as to what lies beneath the multi-faceted layers. Felicia’s latest work is influenced by her European heritage and numerous visits to Europe, where she studied aged and damaged walls. The layers of peeling paint fascinated Felicia’s perception of the layers of time, and at the same time each individual wall evoked its own interesting composition.

The wonderfully organic shapes of still life, and the Australian Fairy wren bird are placed on these backgrounds, much like a `stamp’, representing Felicia’s Australian background. Bringing her two worlds together. Felicia was fine arts trained at Curtin University WA. She also graduated with an honours degree in graphic design. Felicia worked in design selecting fabrics and putting together story boards which gave her good grounding with colour, texture and design. She has won five art prizes and has held successful solo and group exhibitions.

Yanni Souvatzoglou

Greek from abroad (Constantinople) and son of a cotton merchant, Yanni Souvatzoglou inherited his talent from his mother, a portrait painter. Yanni experimented from a very young age on fabric paintings, moved into graphic design where he was introduced to industrial photographic reproductions developing almost three dimentional images. Yanni Souvatzoglou’s skill in graphic arts served as a platform for his sculptural structures. At the same time Yanni attends art studies in Athens under the supervision of Prof P. Tetsis. Influenced mainly from the Minoan and Cycladic era, he manages often to evoke those images in his concepts.

Since 1980 he maintains an atelier for multiple techniques and art applications however he has not abandoned commercial design many corporation have trusted his creative imagination with various manifestation. His art is collected worldwide. He has enjoyed major shows and been awarded prizes for several pieces of his work and many galleries across the world sell his art.


Felicia Aroney, in her own words

My art is an amalgamation of my cultural backgrounds. My Greek heritage, and my Australian upbringing. Using layers of acrylics and oils, I build my backgrounds up to look much like damaged walls, ancient ruins and a representation of the process of history and passing of time in Greece.

The foreground is the Australian Fairy Wren bird, often found in our back yards. I use its delicate and friendly silhouette as a symbol of my Australian culture. Together, I have found a way to mesh my Greek and Australian identity. In 2011, whilst in Athens Greece, I met the wonderfully talented sculptor Yanni Souvatzoglou. A chance encounter, I simply walked into his Athens store and of course was overwhelmed by his work. Whilst Yanni and I are a generation apart we shared the same enthusiasm for art and shared many conversations about our craft over a period of a week.

Yanni handed my sons a gift; It was a sculpture of two birds made of bronze, both on separate wire stands, both flying in the same direction. Yanni said, “Boys, you are brothers. Try to fly together in life. Be sure to be by one another’s side. But as life has it, at times you will not fly together (Yanni turned one of the birds in the opposite direction as he continued to speak), You will find at times you disagree, grow apart, lose sight of one another, however, be sure to remember you are brothers. Correct your path, and continue to fly together” and once again Yanni made sure the birds flew in the same direction.

Encounters like this don`t always happen. I will not forget it. Back in Australia, my next body of works were heavily influenced by this Greek trip. The colours I began using were more reminiscent of the penetrating pigments and light in Greece. Whilst painting, I thought of Yanni, and introduced Katrina, owner of Art2Muse gallery to the idea of the two of us merging our work together to create a “Greek” flavoured art exhibition. And hence, the rest is history........ Felicia Aroney

Time is an undercurrent which is felt, seen and heard in Felicia Aroney`s artwork, a reflection of memory, experiences and what she honours in the present. Felicia`s technique and approach to her work is richly layered using oils and acrylics to create depth and a sense of antiquity which evolves the onlooker`s curiosity as to what lies beneath the multi faceted layers.

Felicia`s latest work is influenced by her European heritage and numerous visits to Europe, where she studied aged and damaged walls. The layers of peeling paint fascinated Felicia`s perception of the layers of time, and at the same time each individual wall evoked it`s own interesting composition.

Back home in Sydney, Felicia coupled the textured backgrounds with the “familiar”. She has added the wonderfully organic shapes and details of fruit, and the lovely silhouette of the Australian garden bird, the “Fairy Wren”, both familiar with her Australian background.

Felicia`s work is rich with colour, layers and texture. Using a palette knife, She mixes her own colours and applies one coat of paint at a time. Each colour is left to dry before the next is applied. Felicia carefully layers, allowing some of the previous layers to reveal themselves. This technique is applied over and over, creating an aged damaged appearance, much like the ancient ruins in Greece; this being the soul influence of her work.

The wonderfully organic shapes of still life, and the Australian Fairy wren bird are placed on these backgrounds, much like a `stamp`, representing Felicia`s Australian background. Bringing her two worlds together.

Felicia Canvases are especially designed and made to support the weight of her thick textured work.

Felicia`s `details (close –ups) `of her larger paintings are on her page, which demonstrates her timely and mystifying technique.

Felicia was fine arts trained at Curtin University WA. She also graduated with an honours degree in Graphic Design. Felicia worked in “design” selecting fabrics and putting together story boards which gave her good grounding with colour, texture and design. She has won 5 art prizes and has held successful solo and group exhibitions.

Upcoming Exhibition:

Art Melbourne 2012

Selected Exhibitions

Melville Art Awards , WA 2008
Melville Art Awards, WA 2009
Manyung Gallery, VIC 2009
Portsea Gallery, VIC 2009
Art Sydney, NSW 2009
Art Melbourne, VIC 2010
Art Sydney, NSW, 2010
Art Melbourne, VIC 2011
Tusk Gallery, VIC, 2011
Tanjent gallery, SA 2011
Art2Muse Gallery, NSW 2011
Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC 2012
Sydney Art month, Art2muse Gallery NSW 2012
Greek Art exhibition, Art2muse Gallery NSW 2012
Art Melbourne 2012
2012 Gallipoli Art Prize Exhibition
Graphic impressions gallery VIC 2012