Crina At Barcola Painting

Based in Montreal, I consider myself a self-taught artist but I also studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Aix-en-Provence, France and at the Art Students League in New York City, working with a number of respected artists. I began my professional painting career at the prestigious Dominion Gallery in Montreal where I was taken under the wing of the owner, Dr. Stern. Here I made my first sales. This was followed by a long-term association with the Elca London Gallery, where my work was introduced and sold to international collectors in Switzerland, England, France, Germany and the United States. Since then I've had more than 50 exhibitions on 3 continents. Today my work can be found in private, public and corporate collections around the globe. Reproductions of my images illustrate many books, magazines, newspapers, posters and websites. Artists Statement: Life is a series of moments made up of thoughts, feelings, emotions, experiences, real and imagined. They exist for a moment and then they become the past, memories, our own and our collective histories. This is where I seek my materials. Our imagination is like a living dream, arising from the treasure box of our inner selves. When it's expressed in any form, it can become a work of art. This is how I create my work. My paintings tell a story; mine and yours. The actual elements used are only the surface of the canvas, painted lines, forms, colours and shapes. And yet, it becomes something different, something greater when you add imagination, experience, talent and personal expression. Then a work of art is created. These stories I tell are an expression of the wonder, love, fear, passion and sometimes, even the confusion I feel for this world and our own lives here. The paintings have lots of questions and the answers you'll have to find for yourselves. Some will find these paintings resonate within them. If you feel moved, then you've understood what I'm trying to say. My work tells the tale of our lives; a story of love, justice, compassion, beauty, contentment and wonder. But life can also be a tale of hate, destruction, fear, social inequality and religious divisions. These are are also subjects I deal with.