About the Artist

 Andrea was raised and educated in South Africa. One of the many places in African that he drew inspiration from was Namibia where he visited on many occasions. His memories of deserts, sand storms and the migration of African animals and people are deeply embedded in his consciousness, and found expression in his earlier collection “Fragments of Africa.” 

 

 Andrea enjoyed a long, successful entrepreneurial career in Johannesburg. His passion, however, has always been art. He was fortunate to have South African masters such as George Boys, Alexis Preller and Walter Batiss as his artistic tutors and mentors. 

 

Andrea immigrated to Canada in 2006, and has painted continually for 50 years. His paintings are found in private collections in South Africa, Great Britain, Australia, Luxembourg, Greece, Cyprus, Canada and the USA. 

 

What is his mission as an artist? It is to expand the vision of his viewers beyond what can be perceived by the naked eye, and to open up to the unseen mysteries that lie beneath their surfaces.  

 

“I aim to transport my viewers beyond realism into the metaphysical, hidden world. In my new collection, “ Sand and Wind’ and ‘Liquid Air Series”, I portray the abstract images I see behind their conventional exteriors. I want people to hear the silence at the heart of a sand storm. To see the color of the wind. To feel the vibration of liquid air, when water is lifted and tossed about by storm.”

 

Andrea’s portraits of women reflect his concern with painting inner rather than outer surfaces. He paints, not just their physical beauty, but offers a window into their soul. He has expanded his earlier painting series entitled “The Mask Series” 

 

“Women are fascinating subjects for any artist,” he explains.  

“Like the sand storm, there is a lot of silence at the heart of women. They keep secrets. They hide behind their outward masks. It is my job to gently reveal some of those hidden qualities in my paintings. That is my job. To pull back the curtain and show the truth of what lies within. Because the truth has beauty.”

 

       
 Spacer "Sand and Wind 1" by Andrea Argyros