Desiree Opiat- Prinsloo is an Australian artist who lives and works for about half the year on the Greek Island of Hydra, joining the island's artistic community of Greek as well as International artists drawn to the light and beauty of Hydra Island Greece.
Biography
D. OPIAT-PRINSLOO F.R.A.S - A.W.I Desiree trained formally in visual art and has painted full time since 1984 in various countries. Her work can be found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, the UK, The USA and Mexico. She is an active and prolific artist, served on many art society committees, tutored painting, donated work to charitable organisations, won awards, executed private commissions, contributed widely to art magazines and newsletters and was a founder member of Combined Arts Society and Portrait Artists Australia.
Essentially a landscape painter, Desiree worked extensively with local Australian landscape. Her focus however returned to figurative and portraiture work looking at the deeper subtleties of these genres and their parallels to landscape.
Desiree has travelled extensively and when she departed Australia to 'paint away' in Greece, Hydra Island worked its spell on her on her arrival on the island in 1982.
Desiree was instantly captivated by the 'film set' appearance of Hydra's distinctive harbour and fascinated by capturing 'the light'.
Her first solo Hydra show 'Summer Light' was held at the Melina Mercouri Exhibition centre in 2009. She has since appeared annually on Hydra like an exotic migratory bird, easily identified by her bougainvillea decorated straw hat.
Desiree is a busy artist who works on a number of projects simultaneously. For 2016 she showed a new series called 'Moonlight'. She ran informal popular art classes on Hydra in 2018 and has produced an excellent quality calendars showing Hydra scenes.
