As an Abstract Artist the series “A Journey into the Past: Bridges“, links humanity in pain and confusion with my own memories in past realities. The focus is on color, textures,authentic personal mark-making, emotionally honest creations and the enjoyment of free execution.The idea and motivation for a particular painting develop as the work takes shape. My inner voice finds inspiration from positive name-giving which resonates into dreams of a future and serves to strengthen my resilience.

Renee Phillips, the Curator, stated

“It is a pleasure and honor to inform you that I selected one of your entries to be in “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience 2022” online exhibition on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website. It began on Sept 30 and will run through Nov 30, 2022.

Thank you for submitting your extraordinary art that expresses the meaning of Resilience. Thanks to you this is by far one of the best exhibitions I have curated.”

Gita Josji, the Curator, elegantly gives a résumé of Ia Crous’ art:

“Ia is an abstract artist from Bloemfontein South-Africa. In this exhibition she presents an abstract series which represents and reveals a rich universal dialogue between the viewer and the artwork. “At the end of 2019 I consciously adapt the painterly connection between the healing power of colors and the enjoyment of free execution. Warm acrylic paint colors Cadmium deep yellow and Alizarin Crimson, a cooler turquoise, and the canvas sizes, were the only decisions I consciously made. The movement of warm, light, and dark patterns across the canvas started to clear the mystery of the artwork. Spaces between the large multi-colored shapes transform the painting and small dots and seemingly insignificant marks are the resting places of an energetic journey. Daily news of humanity in pain and confusion together with my shorthand journal eventually determine the meaning. It became clear that each canvas is a chapter of a story. Each artwork offers a piece of a familiar narrative. The rest of the artworks’ history unfolds as glimpses of emotions, and pieces of past memoirs constructed the visual language. As always, after completion a meaningful name giving process is set in motion.”

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The Curator Salon’s upwrite for Ia Crous:

Ia Crous is an abstract artist from Bloemfontein, South Africa. Since 2000, Ia has been studying the healing power of colour and the psychological interaction of colour, dreams and art as medicine, while attending events and conferences to further her research. Towards the end of 2019 her visual style moved from impressionistic realism into abstract art. She says: “This change in focus emphasised authentic, personal mark making, emotional-honesty art, and the enjoyment of free execution. The acceptable way of starting an artwork – with a notion, drawing, `copying’ or concept – was replaced by an inner voice to work intuitively. The idea, emotion, and motivation for a particular painting develops as the abstract work of art takes shape.”

Ia’s work develops through experimenting with the application of paints, dry and wet mediums, textures, and collage. “I find inspiration from memoirs in past realities that resonate into dreams for the future. The core of my art is to establish a link and to recognise humanity in pain and confusion.” “I aspire to establish the connection that lies in Look, See, Do, Dream (LSDD). Now is the time to communicate the exploration of creativity, self-expression, empowerment, and the handling of negativity and fear.” Since 2007 she has participated in various South African art festivals, which provided her with the opportunity to further her art career.

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