BIO
Jen. Irias was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 1989. Her curiosity about art—specifically color and drawing—was first awakened during her childhood when she visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Later, as a teen, she began to develop her skills in conceptualizing, drawing, and painting at the Carolina Carias Art Studio and continued her work there even as she pursued a degree in Civil Engineering. Her passion for art persevered, though, and she decided instead to dedicate her career to the Visual Arts.
From her beginnings as an artist, Jen has placed nature as the primary focus point of her work: “In a world so permeated by technology I feel we take for granted what nature gives us—its natural resources; its flora and fauna. Our interactions with nature are increasingly scarce and, when we do experience nature, often we’re actually harmful to it. So, I want the viewer to connect and be more sensitive to nature through, in example, a mountainous landscape that invites a spirit of exploration. I’d like a flower loaded with color and movement to bring cheer, or a bird that—through the canvas—signs a song that only our soul can hear. I hope my art provokes a desire to disconnect from the screen,” says Irias.
This natural theme of her work has been influenced by trips to the interior of her native country, Honduras and her creative process actually begins with an on-site expedition. Jen immerses herself in the day-to-day of her chosen location, assembling a collection of images that allow her to create a point of reference that she interprets into her work.
You will encounter a refined technique from Irias—a palette loaded with daring colors and contextually-extracted elements that are intentionally full of meaning. Jen’s textures are metaphors of emotions, containing geometric forms that arise from the imaginary, inspired by complex spiral and fractal forms of nature. Her work is influenced by artists such as Eugène Boudin, Frank Stella, Beatriz Milhazes, Alex Colville and Georgia O'Keeffe.
Her works have been exhibited in collective and individual exhibitions in Honduras at the Museum of National Identity, the Honduran Institute of Inter-American Culture, the Cultural Hall of Banco Atlántida, the Honduran Institute of Hispanic Culture, the Honduras Maya Hotel, and at the Waves of Art Gallery in Roatán. Her art has also been exhibited in Miami, Florida. Today her work is part of numerous collections in countries such as Argentina, Portugal, Canada, Israel, Italy, Nicaragua, Spain, and the United States.
Education
Carolina Carias Art Studio, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2003-2013
Civil Engineering, UNITEC,Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2012
Online Master in Business Administration, EUDE, Madrid, Spain, 2016
Teaching Experience
Art Assistant at Carolina Carias Art Studio, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 2003-2013
Founder-Teacher at Roatan Art Classes, Roatan, Honduras 2017-2019
Workshops
Oil Pastels Techniques, Idiomart, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2019
Fluid Acrylics (all ages), Roatan Art Classes, Roatan, Honduras, 2018
Celebrating Dad ( ages 3-6), Paradise Babies, Roatan, Honduras, 2018
Summer Camp ( ages 3-15), Paradise Babies, Roatan, Honduras, 2018
Recycled Art, Sponsored by Soda Stream, Fantasy Island, Roatan, Honduras, 2018
Art Residency
2018
2 week art camp at Jaszodzsa, Hungary.
Solo Exhibitions
2019
“Mother Earth” Studio Loren, Roatán, Honduras
2018
“Pop-Up Art Gallery” Proimi Design Center, Roatán, Honduras
“Arts for Action” in collaboration with Abundant Life Foundation, Beach Club San Simon, Roatán, Honduras
2017
“Awake” Waves of Art Gallery, Roatán, Honduras
2016
“Transiciones” Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Group Exhibitions
2002 - 2019
“Nosotros Exponemos” Carolina Carias Art Studio, Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall , Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
2016
“Mujeres Nuevas Historias 2016”, National Identity Museum (MIN), Tegucigalpa, Honduras
“25 Salón de Arte Femenino Centro América y el Caribe” organized by the Honduran Institute of Inter-american Culture (IHCI), Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2014
“Ingenieros Civiles Artistas” Honduran Institute of Hispano-american Culture (IHCH), Tegucigalpa, Honduras
“Ingenieros Civiles Artistas” Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2013
“Sin Restricciones”, Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
“Una Visión de Cultura de Seguridad Vial”, United Nations Global Campaign “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011/2020” in collaboration with “FIA Action Road Safety”, Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa., Honduras
“Gala Artística del Banco Atlántida, Centenario” Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa., Honduras
2012
“Mujeres +”, Art contest for women and girls equal rights in Honduras. Organized by the United States Embassy and Mujeres en las Artes (MUA), Tegucigalpa, Honduras
“Horizontes” Hotel Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2008
“Exposición Colectiva Miniaturas Navideñas” Honduran Institute of Inter-american Culture (IHCI), Tegucigalpa Honduras
2007
“Exposición Colectiva Miniaturas Navideñas” IHonduran Institute of Inter-american Culture (IHCI), Tegucigalpa Honduras
2002
“Exposición de Pintura Infantil-Juvenil” Tegucigalpa Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
International Group Exhibitions
2003
“11 Exposición Nosotros Exponemos Uniendo las Naciones”, Miami Dade Community Collage, Miami, Florida USA.
Charity Exhibitions
2016
“Navidad en Octubre” art sale in benefit of Operations Smile Honduras, Casa Petipua, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
“Nosotros Exponemos Hospital María” art works donated to the Hospital Maria of Pediatric Specialties. Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa.
2014
“El arte de Sonreir” art sale in benefit of Operations Smile Honduras, Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa.
2011
“Teletón” art sale in benefit of Teleton Honduras, Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa.
2010
“Un abrigo para Todos” art sale in benefit of Fundación Abrigo, Tegucigalpa.Banco Atlántida Cultural Hall, Tegucigalpa.
Murales
2019
“Lady in Red” & "Silver Wings" Pasion Dance Studio, Cuenca, Ecuador
2015
“Jazz Band” Hotel Excelsior-Bourbon House.
2004
"Arte para Todo" BAC Honduras exterior wall organized by United Nations, Boulevard Morazán, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
"Arte para Todos” Fachada Villa Olímpica exterior wall organized by the United Nations, with the direction of Nicaraguan Muralist Julio Moreno, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
2003
Interactive Education Murals donated by the Carolina Carias Art Studio, Chiminike, Tegucigalpa, Honduras