LAZARUSI STUDIOS

Portrait of the Artist

Art is in the heart of Oliphant, Ontario, Canada. This beautiful community on the shores of Lake Huron is home to ‘Lazarusi Studios’ and artist/designer Lazarus Ioannou. Just a 15 minute drive from downtown Wiarton or Sauble Beach, Ontario, Canada brings you to Bruce Peninsula’s freshest artist-in-residence and a promise of paintings worth discovering.

Lazarus (’Laz’ or ‘Larry’ to friends) was drawn to the rich artistic and cultural heritage this region has to offer. He has recently uprooted his life in Toronto to replant a home for his Fine Art creations as well as Design/Advertising on a freelance basis. Laz has been a creative soul since childhood, but his portfolio grew after receiving a handful of scholarships and awards from the esteemed Ontario College of Art - sparking a 13 year career in Canada’s advertising industry as an Art Director. Conceiving and producing countless multimedia creative communication campaigns for national and international clients, Laz gained a rich experience in the field and has been recognized for his contribution with several industry awards over the years.

Now mainly focussing on his roots as a painter/sculptor/visual artist, his work reflects his new surroundings as much as his past experiences. The textural landscape of the Bruce’s flora and fauna provide much of his inspiration now, in artwork Laz describes as “a mosaic of modern, traditional, impressionist, and graphic elements that work together in a unique way to express the way we perceive and experience the natural world around us”. Working mostly in acrylic paint on wood panel and mixed media sculptural elements, his pieces range from a wood saw seemingly ‘carved’ from wood to a four-by-two foot painted interpretation of a bird’s nest, as well as past reflections of a more urban experience. Laz’s artistic influences range from Canada’s legendary Group of Seven, to Greek/Byzantine Iconic art, and early 20th century European and Russian Avant-Garde painters ­mixed in with his commercial graphic design experience and personal style to create a truly unique visual expression. A seamless textural weaving using an ‘earthy’ palette of colours that create simple-yet-complex stylized visions of the way earth, water, people, and animals co-exist.

Laz’s debut of paintings in the local art scene garnered him Ontario’s Southampton Gallery’s coveted 2008 “Visionary Award” as well as several articles and accolades. He’s now busy creating new and grander pieces to offer the art-loving public this summer and beyond, whether at a public showing or by private appointment at his home/studio or through his website.

All images and content shown are copyrighted (©2008 L.Ioannou) by the artist and may not be reproduced without permission. All artwork is available for international purchase unless otherwise indicated.

To Contact Artist Lazarus Ioannou:
Call 519-534-5346 Oliphant or 416-323-0022 Toronto, or check his website
at www.lazarusi.wordpress.com or email him at lazarusi@sympatico.ca about a
personal viewing visit or info about his Art and Design, or just to say
‘hello’.

Lazarus Ioannou, June 2008