Eirene Archolekas

I have loved art since elementary school; I considered majoring in art in college, but my family discouraged me. It took me almost 40 years and a painful second divorce to emerge as a professional artist. I had never been able to give myself permission to be who I authentically am. I came to the awakening of myself as an artist and writer through art therapy. As someone who struggles with mood disorder, art helped me navigate the darks and lights, to weather the internal and external landscapes. Ultimately, it helps me heal. The act of creation becomes a triumph over despair, a tool for healing, and living proof that beauty can save the world.


I have had a career as a journalist and teacher. I have taught from kindergarten to university.

Encaustic is particularly endearing for me because it connects me to my ancestral past. It assists in uncovering the many fused layers of my identity. As a member of the Hellenic Diaspora raised on three continents and having lived in five cities and countries, the technique captures the many layers of complexity in living. Its complexity is a function of its multi-sensual nature as well--textural, visual, tactile, olfactory.

My art is informed by my Hellenic identity and classic f...

The Art Students’ League, New York, NY
-Mixed Media and Collage, Lithography, Still Life Oil Painting
National Academy of Art, New York, NY
-Monoprint Master Class
Lower East Side Print Shop, NY, NY
-Silk Screen printing
Roni Henning Studio, Brooklyn, NY
-Printing Master Workshop
R & F Paint and Gallery, Kingston NY
-Encaustic Workshop
Bric Ceramics Center, LIC, NY
-Wheel Ceramics
SVA, New York, NY
-Children’s Book Illustration

BA, Queens College, CUNY. British and American Literature
MA, Stony Brook University,

Summer is Art,” Arte Borgo Gallery, Rome, Italy, July 15-28, 2020
Encaustic Today, Moscow, Encaustic.gallery June 1-Oct 1 2020
“LIC-A” 6τη Annual Group Show, Landmark Arts Building, Chelsea, NYC FEB-MARCH 2020
-Plaxall Spring Online Gallery, MAY -JUNE 2020
“OFF THE WALL” Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City DEC-FEB 2019
“PEOPLE’S CHOICE SALON SHOW,” Greenpoint Gallery, FEB 2019
“INSIDE/OUTSIDE” Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City MARCH-APRIL 2019
“I Dream of Green and Blue” LIC OpenArts, The Factory Gallery LIC October 2018