Irene Georgopoulou
Irene Georgopoulou was born in 1964. Since becoming a full-time artist in 2009 she has won several awards and her work has been published in art books and magazines, most notably: Poets and Artists Magazine, International Artist Magazine, Artist’s Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, Pastel Journal, and a series of Strokes of Genius books. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, of International Guild of Realism and has achieved Master Circle Status with International Association of Pastel Societies.
Irene paints realistic still lifes and portraits in pastel. She is a collector of objects that stimulate her creativity and she loves transforming common objects into luminous still life paintings. She also finds portraiture fascinating and tries to create a certain emotional content with her work.
Her work has juried into art shows such as IGOR, IAPS and Pastel Journal's Pastel 100 and she was among the finalists in many art competitions. Some of them are International Artist Magazine Competition, Southwest Art Magazine Artistic Excellence, Artist Magazine Annual Art Competition and Richeson75.
She has participated in numerous exhibitions in USA, , Italy, France, China, Greece and Turkey. Irene’s art is in many private collections worldwide.
Group Exhibitions
2011. "Still Life and Abstract" Exhibition at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA.
2011. IAPS "18th Juried Exhibition" at the Hispanic Arts Gallery Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
2013. "Small Works" at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA.
2015. "Small Works" at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA.
2015. International Art Exhibition “Insan Insterse” in Istanbul, Turkey.
2015. IAPS "26th Juried Exhibition" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
2016. "2nd China (Suzhou) Biennial International Pastel Exhibition" at Ming Gallery, Suzhou, China.
2016. "Small Works" at Ena Gallery in Athens, Greece.
2017. "Energy Athens" hosted by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies in Athens, Greece.
2017. “Welcoming Documenta 14” at Kaplanon5 Gallery in Athens, Greece.
2017. "First International Exhibition of Pastel Painting" in Tivoli, Italy.
2017. "2nd Art Thessaloniki International Art Fair", at Thessaloniki, Greece with Kaplanon Galleries.
2017. Art Exhibition “Find Refuge in Art” project of the Hellenic Open University in Athens, Greece.
2017. “Keys” selected for the Pastel Art Museum Opening Exhibition in Suzhou, China.
2018. "Small Works" at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA.
2018. "3rd Pastel d'Opale", in Boulogne sur mer, France.
2018. "Monografies" at Ena Gallery in Athens, Greece.
2018. "Landscape, Seascape & Architecture" at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA
2018. "Pastels On High Open International Exhibition" at Sacramento Fine Arts Center in Carmichael, California, USA.
2018. 3rd China (Suzhou) Biennial International Pastel Exhibition, at Ming Gallery, Suzhou, China.
2018. "13th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibition" at Sugarman-Peterson Galleri in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
2018. "3rd Art Thessaloniki International Art Fair", at Thessaloniki, Greece with Kaplanon Galleries.
2018. "Small Works" at Kaplanon5 Gallery in Athens, Greece.
2019. "Small Works" at Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, USA.
2019. “Pastels USA” 33rd Annual International Open Exhibition at Haggin Museum in Stockton, California, USA.
Awards
2011. “Pebbles” won the 1st Award in Richeson75 Still Life & Abstract Competition.
2015. “Spoons” received the Award of Merit in Four Points Contemporary International Competition.
2015. “Keys” won the People’s Choice Award in Richeson75 Still Life & Floral Competition.
2015. “Washed Ashore” won 4rth place in the Still Life/Floral category of the 17th Annual Pastel 100 Competition.
2015. “Three Orchids” won the Richeson75 Still Life & Floral People’s Choice Award.
2017. “Refuge” awarded Outstanding Pastel in the August BoldBrush Painting Competition.
2017. “Innocent Smile” won 3rd place in category 34-Realism/Humans at American Art Awards.
2017. “Still Life with Boots” won 5th place-tie in category 37-Realism/Still Life at American Art Awards.
2019. “Shipwreck” won 1st place in PASIT online exhibition in Still Life category.
2019. “Treasures from the Past” won Honorable Mention in Richeson75 Small Works Competition.
Publications
• Poets and Artists Magazine
• International Artist Magazine
• Artist Magazine
• Southwest Art Magazine
• Pastel Journal Magazine
• Duemila Art Magazine
• Art Apprentice Magazine
• Best of Worldwide Artists in pastel, charcoal and pencil Volume II
• Strokes of Genius 4
• Strokes of Genius 5
• Strokes of Genius 8
• Strokes of Genius 10
• Art Habens Biennial Edition
• Hyperrealism Magazine
Artist’s Statement
When I travel back in my memory lane, colors seem to dominate my feelings and images. I have been interested in painting ever since I was a little girl and used to draw on every piece of paper that I could find. My busy schedule as a wife and mother of two boys kept me from pursuing my dream until 2006. I am a pastelist by preference and I loved this medium from the moment I picked up my first pastel in 2009, a turning point in my life, being a moment of enlightenment and revelation. Pastel is, beyond a shadow of doubt, a magical medium that reflects light in such way that the painting's surface emits a mystical glow.
I am mainly a still life painter but I also enjoy portraiture. I am constantly obsessed by colors and I find myself spellbound by the playful impact of light while it piously strikes objects and creates luminous reflections. I enjoy depicting the uncomplaining movement and mesmerizing illusion of water. Pebbles, glass marbles, shells, toys are among my favorite subjects. Combining light and dark flavoring with brilliant colors gives an eye-popping sense to my deliberately chosen small-in-size paintings. By focusing on small daily objects, I try to gain insight into the secret nature of things by exploring them deeply. The expected outcome is bound to be the awareness that still life little objects do have an evocative expression and they can undoubtedly offer the viewer the privilege to experience art through a variety of angles. I aspire to praise the beauty of simple things and their undeniable contribution to the surroundings.
As an artist I feel an irresistible attraction towards realism. My passion is exploring and unveiling details. I love painting close-ups and my need to depict the chosen subject with great precision seduces me into a constant battle to master new skills of realism. I am self-taught and I paint what I find beautiful enjoying the process of painting. It’s always such a pleasure when my work resonates with people.