Irena Korosec:Healing Herself and The Collective Through Art
Produced by Geri Jones, Creative Arts segment July 18, 2013
Born in Slovenia (former Yugoslavia) in 1962, Irena graduated from the Art Academy of Ljubljana, Slovenia and moved to Canada shortly thereafter. She is presently living in Montreal, where she obtained the Elizabeth Greenshields grant for figurative painting in 1994.
Irena has taught classical painting since 1989, at Dawson College as well as the Saidye Bronfman School of Art. Her work is found in many public and private collections in Europe and in North America.
In 2004 she received several awards at the International Salon of Classical Realism organized by the Art Renewal Center (New Jersey).
In Irena’s own words:
“When I was five years old I visited my neighbor who was older than me and had a collection of oil paints on a desk in his room. I opened one tube and smelled the paint. Sweet smell of linseed oil! I remembered it somehow. To this day I think that this is the most beautiful smell ever!
I am deeply touched by the human condition in all its aspects. My inspiration comes from the need to heal myself and our collective. To achieve this I use the symbols, recognizable by many, from social, religious and cultural. I combine archaic and contemporary in my language, as this is what depicts my message the best. It takes me approx a year to finish my bigger works but I always work on several at the same time.
Love and hope for humanity are my driving force, in my life as in my art…..”
Irena is the Master Painter and instructor at the BohemiArte School.
The BohemiArte School is one of the few schools in Canada that has been approved by the Art Renewal Center. The school firmly believes in the form of art that best expresses humanist ideals based on a strong knowledge of the métier.
Using the techniques of the Old Masters allows the creation of personal expression that is not limited or passé. The artist is provided with the tools to be truthful, honest and noble in his/her metaphysical search.
The Bohemiarte School provides art courses which enable the students to improve their skills in both drawing and painting. Drawing improves ones observation skills. The painting sessions teach classical techniques for painting human skin.
There are four different levels of class for students to learn:
Size and form
Composition
Tone and Shadow
Rhythm and Motion
All of these features of drawing and painting encompass the essentials for creating beautiful artwork. Jane Kavanagh leads the drawing part of the sessions while Irena Korosec leads the painting section. The school is based in Montreal, Canada.
You are so very talented Irena…absolutely love your work! xoxo