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ARTIST Irina Averinos is staging her first solo exhibition in Bahrain featuring an array of bright and vibrant paintings of her journey through life.
Entitled Sun Splashes, it captures Irina’s love of nature and moments during her travels and is on display at the World Beat Fitness Centre in Janabiya.
The 53-year-old Russian, who now lives in Jurdab, has had more than seven joint exhibitions during her stay in the kingdom and is excited to fly solo for a change.
She said: "During joint exhibitions I usually display only eight paintings and it tends to revolve around a theme. This time I can showcase a variety of my work and in different styles such as oil, water colour, acrylic and more.
"I am able to express to people who I am. I named my exhibition Sun Splashes because I have been told that my paintings are bright like the sun and also my inspiration comes from nature. I have painted flowers, animals, landscapes and have even been inspired by Bahraini doors."
Her paintings have proved popular and she can proudly proclaim that they are displayed globally including in her homeland, neighbouring Ukraine, France and Lebanon as well as here in Bahrain.
Irina graduated from university as an electrical engineer who loved to paint and over time her passion for art grew and it became her career of choice. She moved to Jordan after marrying her Jordanian husband, university professor Dr Abdulfatah Salman.
During her stay there she became an art and home economics teacher. The couple first moved to Bahrain in 1996 when her husband joined Bahrain University. They left in 2000 and returned for a second spell in 2004.
Irina is now heavily involved in the community as the art group and art exhibition committee chairperson for the American Women’s Association. She donated her painting ‘Rose under the Rain’ to the Think Pink cancer awareness charity in memory of her best friend Svetlana who died from the disease three years ago.
The painting can be won in a raffle organised by the charity and all proceeds will go towards breast cancer research. Tickets are on sale at the centre.
Irina’s paintings range from BD30 to BD300 and a few have already been snatched up by art aficionados. Small versions of her works of art are now used as greeting cards and they are also available at the centre. Her exhibition ends tomorrow.
