Biography

Ivars Sprogis is a local artist and retired Ophthalmologist who was born in Latvia in 1931. Favoring the Realistic Impressionism style, his watercolor and oil work of seascapes, landscapes and florals are exquisitely captured through his use of pigment, shadows, and vibrancy. He is known for his minimalist technique, color palette and maximizing a view of the natural beauty in nature, both in the region and abroad. “For as long as I can remember, the natural world has been my truest companion-its quiet rhythms, its fleeting light, and its enduring beauty have shaped the way I see and live,” he explains. “I’ve spent a lifetime watching the seasons turn, the tide roll in and out, the petals open and fall; in many ways, painting has been my way of paying attention-of holding onto moments the world is too busy to notice.” Sprogis trained at Memphis Art Academy in Tennessee and was privately tutored by local watercolorist Arne Lindmark. He was also influenced by Spanish Artist, Joaquin Sorolla. His works can be found in many local businesses and private art collections, and have been exhibited at Marist College, The Bank of New York, Garrison Desmond-Fish Public Library, Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, Palmer Gallery at Vassar College, Cornell Creative Arts Center, and Nyack library, among other locations. He also had the privilege of having one of his paintings accepted in The American Watercolor Society’s traveling exhibit.