Soaring Spirits of the Southwest Painting

Ivana Starcevic is a contemporary expressionistic painter currently residing and working in Corrales, New Mexico. She has long sought to capture “the spirit of place” in her artwork, finding inspiration from not only her current surroundings but also from the fragmented memories of her youth in Europe. From the age of four, Starcevic knew she wanted to be an artist. She earned a BFA in Ceramics and Studio Art and an MFA in Mixed Media from the Academy of Applied Arts University in Belgrade and completed postgraduate work in printmaking at the University of New Mexico. Her paintings are rich in color, verve, and motion, whether interpreting raw landscapes, radiant light, or the brilliant colors of the New Mexico sky. Her current work, inspired by southwestern hues and views, is usually painted from memory, guided by intuition, and fueled by imagination. Starcevic's work, described by one critic as “unshakably cosmopolitan, irreversibly modern, and strikingly innovative,” has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and her pieces are held in both public and private collections including the City of Albuquerque “Art in Public Spaces”. She also has permanent collections of her paintings at the high-tech Senspex building and a collection of large paintings at the NM Cancer Center. In 2022, Starcevic has been honored to be named a Local Treasure by the Albuquerque Arts Business Association.