Tea Okropiridze
Connection, 2004
29.5 in x 48 in

Tea Okropiridze
Rhythms, 2021
21.5 in x 25 in

Tea Okropiridze’s Artist Statement

I view art as a language uniquely suited to serve us in ways a verbal language cannot.  My art is a creative act to express my feelings, using mediums such as Gobelin Tapestry. By creating my tapestries, I intend to show the audience what I’ve seen and found interesting and beautiful in my life. I create a two-dimensional composition, rich with color and the texture of hand-woven textiles, by combining three-dimensional forms around me and transforming them into a decorative or abstract image.

In my work, I try to use natural resources such as wool, cotton, and silk. However, I do not limit myself to only using natural material, and often times I mix with synthetic and artificial yarns to give the composition the desired look and aesthetic.  Even though my creative process always starts with painting, drawing, and/or making a collage, I particularly enjoy the process of weaving, since I personally view it as a challenge of painting with yarn.  Tapestry, similar to any other work of art, should make the viewer think. It should not tell the viewer what to think, but it should guide the viewers to think in a new way.

Tea Okropiridze
Decorative Still Life, 2002
25 in x 19.5 in

Tea Okropiridze’s Biography

I was born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia. I received my first degree from Tbilisi in the Nikoladze Arts College, majoring in Sculpture. later, I received an Honors Degree from the University of Art and Culture, majoring in artistic weaving/Tapestry.  Soon after graduation, my two daughters and I moved to the US  to join my husband and I continued my career in Northern Virginia. Since 2004, my husband and I have run a studio called Art Woodstone Studio, which is located in Virginia. Simultaneously, I teach Tapestry at The Art League School in Alexandria, VA, and Art at the Academy of Georgian Heritage in Rockville, MD.

Since 1999, I have participated in numerous national and international exhibitions. I was the Finalist of the Niche award in the Fiber-Hand-woven Category.  Also, I won the Shayna Heisman Simkin for the Best in Show Award with juror Joann Moser at The Art League Gallery.