Should you happen across the stunningly accomplished portfolio of Dollard des Ormeaux based Georgia Priniotakis, you would be immediately forgiven for thinking you were looking at the works of a past master.
Georgia, also known as Kalas, has a rare gift as an artist. Her work seems to carry the gravitas of age. You may think you've seen one of her sunflower studies in a French Gallery. You may truly believe that you once saw her 'Village In Santorini' or perhaps her 'Window with Grapes' hung in a major gallery in one of Europe's great centers of culture; London, Madrid, Florence. But these are the works of Georgia Priniotakis.
Born on the Greek island of Crete, Georgia Priniotakis grew up surrounded by a family of musicians, writers, and artists, and was inevitably taught and guided towards the arts. It was her natural environment, however, that was to truly inspire her, and she grew to understand and love nature in all its glory, and subtlety, recognizing and deeply appreciating its splendor.
This has manifested itself in perhaps some of the most glorious landscape realism pieces that I have seen for some time. These are, without doubt, steeped in the 'classic' genre of visual art, far from the grubby or pseudo sophisticated world of urban landscape which so many contemporary artists thrust desperately upon us.
Yet they are not chocolate box images. No, each piece speaks of a moment, a fleeting breath of emotion for a time or a place that often feels long gone, yet here, it may still be found and enjoyed. There are countless plays of light in her canvasses, light that seems to embrace the warmth of the summer sun, or the autumnal, low-sun light, rich with the promise of coming winter.
Though, undoubtedly, Georgia's respect and appreciation of such great masters as Turner, Monet, and Degas etc., plays a substantial and clearly evident part in her masterful brush skills, perhaps the warmth that shines through all her work comes from Georgia's love of painting in the open air, where she can immediately appreciate and feel her landscape before delivering the beauty and diversity of nature, through her brush.
The artistic career of Georgia Priniotakis began actively in the early eighties, then, in 1991, she won first prize in a juried group show. That became something of a catalyst that has seen her develop into a skilled and prolific painter. Since those early days, Georgia's work has appeared in numerous group and solo exhibitions, and has won many awards and mentions in juried shows.
Clearly, her work is accomplished. Yet, like all good artists, Georgia continues to study her art, to learn new aspects of her craft. In her continually quest to explore new environments and cultures, she travels regularly with other artists and has taken workshops around the world, from Canada, to Greece and Portugal. She has taken courses, and subsequently exhibited, in the 'House of Artists' in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
As a practicing artist, Georgia predominantly works from her Studio at Dollard des Ormeaux, Quebec, from where she also teaches and holds workshops. She is also Vice president of the Artists' Association of Dollard, Co-founder and secretary of the Ville St-Laurent artists' Association, and she is a signature artist with The Pastel Society of Eastern Canada.
Her work has previously been showcased in such publications as the Lexicon Art of Greek artist Vol.2, and Le Pluralisme dans l'art au Quebec (Iconia 1998).
Rob Thomas
Art Critic, artisticallyconnected.com
Links:
Artistically ConnectedWet Canvas
Art Space
Georgia Priniotakis at ArtWeb