CHARALAMBOUS, Sophie

1973 - ?

Sophie Charalambous was born at St Pancras, London in 1973, daughter of Charalambos J. Charalambous and his wife Sheila Margaret née Barnes (22 August 1939-17 June 1993), who married at Islington in 1970. Sophie studied at Bournville School of Art, Birmingham 1989–1991, obtaining a B-tec Dip Art & Design and at the University of Brighton 1991-1994, graduating B.A. in Fine Art Painting. After her studies she lived in Cyprus where she continued to paint and draw and where the Byzantine Frescoes, Orthodox rituals and village customs deepened her interest in capturing drama in her images. On her return to England, she found a studio group on a farm in East Anglia, firstly at Sudbury, Suffolk and then at North Walsham, Norfolk and began to collaborate with other artists; running workshops and other events, she also continued to develop and exhibit both inside and outside the UK. A visual artist and designer who combines her own practice with working collaboratively in the theatre, teaching, and leading arts projects with community groups. She exhibited at the Ipswich Art Society from 26 Priory Street, Colchester in 1997 'Bog Sisters'. In 1998, Sophie moved to London where she became involved with a friend's Youth Theatre and made props and costumes for their productions, mythical stories reinvented for young people with an emphasis on visual and musical elements. These experiences led her to apply for the Motley Theatre Design Course in Drury Lane, London where she completed postgraduate course in set and costume design in 2002, since when she has designed many performances, several of which have toured the world. Drawing underpins all her work and in 2009 she spent a year developing it on The Drawing Year at the Prince's Drawing School in Shoreditch. Sophie Charalambous won the David Gluck Memorial Drawing Prize 2017, the Sunday Times Watercolour Prize 2018 and the Jerwood Printmaking Today Prize 2020. Her large watercolour 'The Church in the Mountains' was included in Prince and Patron, a 2018 exhibition at Buckingham Palace. Charalambous has exhibited internationally and in 2010 was commissioned by Van Cleef and Arpels to draw in their workshops in Paris.
Website: http://www.sophiecharalambous.co.uk

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Works by This Artist