THE COLOUR OF HOPE: about the artist

Born in Europe, raised in Winnipeg, worked in Toronto, Irene now enjoys her log cabin near Stratford, Ontario with her husband, Bill, and their two cats. Her mantra is “The Articulate Eye” which she translates into expressive, meaningful, and distinct portraits and fine art.

You may know Irene through her extensive volunteer work with the Friends of the Library, Market Square Project, Stratford and Perth County Slow Food and her commercial and wedding photography.

Irene is represented by Gallery on the Grand in Waterloo, P.I. Fine Art in Toronto, and Candice Olson of Divine Design in the US. Her wallpaper murals are available through Mural Unique in Montreal.

A few years ago, Irene opened a portrait studio and art gallery at The Factory 163 on King Street, in Stratford.

A quote from Irene’s website: “Influenced by my childhood love of fantasy, myths and fairy tales, my hope is to bring painterly vision to my landscapes, humour and warmth to my portraits, and edginess to my abstracts. I am intrigued by the juxtaposition of the old and new, lost and found, loved and unloved, inside and out, and light and shadow.”

Irene was awarded a commission to provide the Stratford and Perth County Community Foundation with a piece of art to be used for various Foundation projects. The work, a lateral view of a sunflower, was unveiled at the Mayor’s Gala – an event in January 2010 which supported the Community Foundation. The title of the piece, The Colour of Hope, is a quote attributed to Vincent Van Gogh and refers to the colour yellow. There is a predominance of yellow in van Gogh’s work, particularly during certain periods in his life.