Stass Paraskos

Veron Street Exhibition- 13th Febuary-13th March

Stass Paraskos was born in Cyrus in 1933 and travelled to England in 1953 where he was encouraged to apply for entry to Leeds college of Art, later teaching there, becoming a lecturer in Fine Art at Canterbury College of Art and the head of painting at the newly created Kent Institute of Art & Design before returning to Cyprus and establising Cyprus college of Art.

Parasko's paintings are best described as figurative but non-naturalistic, often describing political historical or personal scenes from his past. His work is in many public collections including the tate Gallery, the Arts council and Leeds city Art Gallery.

The Cyprus College of Art is Stass and Stass is Cyprus College of Art. As distinct entities the two are unseperable and rather like great art schools and studio- workshops of the past, this symbolic relationship between the artist and the place the artist teaches gives to the Cyprus college of Art a unique and very special personality. It is the personality of Stass.

Stass's paintings have developed over the years in manner and in content, though their essential character, which is also his, remains constant. I nearly wrote " and in ambititon" but from the first he has produced 'simple' still life and figure subjects as well as occasional painitngs that tackle more polemical subjects, often on a larger scale.