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Irene Sheri was born in the city of Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, Ukraine in 1968. Her diverse heritage probably makes her one of the brightest example of a new breed of inter-cultural artists emerging from, “Europe without borders” . Her mother Bulgarian and her father French, she was born and raised in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, where cultures freely mixed, making Odessa one of the most colorful, bright and multinational cities in the world.

At an early age Irene knew she was going to be an artist. After several years of artistic training, she graduated valedictorian from the prestigious Saint Petersburg Academy of Art. This renowned school, created in the eighteenth century, has influenced many masters in its years of existence. Artists such as K. Brioullov, A. Ivanov, I. Repine, V. Sourikov, I. Levitan, V. Serov, and I. Vroubel are ambassadors of Russia’s art worldwide.

Irene drew inspiration from the work of Botticelli, Chagall, Kandinsky, Picasso, and Goya. However Cezanne and Matisse made the deepest impact. Avant-garde Russian students, Falk, Konchalovsky, Mashkov, Lentulov, were followers of these French artists. Calling themselves the “Jack of Diamonds” , a name proposed by Larionov (a member), suggested not only the roguish behavior of the avant-garde, but conveyed a love of popular graphic art forms…. such as vintage printed playing cards.

The “Jack of Diamonds” group avoided realism, instead constructing a 3-dimensional reality using mono-colored bright palettes. These color intensive representations of realistic images freed the imagination, allowing the development of artistic impressionism as counterpoint to the social realism of artists schooled in traditional art.

At school Irene experimented with images and colors, allowing herself to paint landscapes with contrasts of light and shadow similar to the “Russian Expressionistic Movement” of artistic predecessors, Malyavin, Vrubel and Korovin, Irene’s style evolved from the influence of a renegade professor, who told his students – “after so many years at school you now are able to copy the world surrounding you. It is about time you let yourself create a world that is totally yours, that comes from within your own soul.

Irene embraced the opportunity to use colors of her native Odessa. Indigo skies contrasted with the deep greens of the Black Sea; plum, orange and peach; the colors of summer, blended with colors and images of her dreams. She envisioned Cezanne, Matisse, Gauguin – and her own style was formed.

Like Matisse, she rarely reworks her paintings. If her objective is not reached, she begins anew, until the desired result is achieved.

Her paintings express her love of life, a toast to its wonder and beauty. Sheri’s talent and style were recognized in 2001 when she was awarded Russia ’s highest artistic honor, the “State Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art”, naming her as the “Best and Brightest” young artist in Russia.

Irene is married and has a beautiful daughter, Masha, age 8, who is already showing early signs of being a very talented artist.