the story behind
With the power of our will, persistence, effort, and love for what expresses us and what we believe in, we can turn even those difficult things we find in life into beautiful and special ones. For this reason, I am very proud of my Rock Art, firstly because I had never seen anything like them in my whole life, despite many of my travels, and secondly because I feel that they gave me life and joy.
I discovered them at a very difficult time in my life and they helped me to get back on my feet again. They gave me a psychological and financial boost, they gave me confidence. They came as if from God's machine when I was isolated in my little stone cottage in the wonderful medieval village of Anavatos in Chios. From a distance, it really does look like an eagle's nest. Only one old woman lives there. I only stayed in the summers.
I went there all alone, desperate, desperate to pick up the pieces after the death of my husband. I had to think about what I could do for me and my five children who still needed me. It was a bad time when, among other things, the crisis had just begun. I wasn't used to sitting around and I thought I'd paint to pass the time. Unfortunately, I had only paints and brushes but no canvases. I sat by the fireplace and watched the flames leap non-stop. Suddenly, I got the idea to paint two beautiful stones that my husband had brought me. The result delighted me.
Later, I decided to exhibit the paintings in my cottage, to avoid the acquaintances and friends, who unwittingly kept reminding me of my problem. Everyone who saw my painted stones was excited and wanted to buy them. I thought it would be very interesting to make more. I started climbing the mountain every day, looking for special rocks whose relief reminded me of the rock and the village of Anavatos. I thought it would be easier to sell them to strangers passing by my showroom. It was something that would later remind them of the place they were visiting. When at first I didn't have a color, e.g. brown, green, or grey, to avoid going down to the city, I learned to get them from nature. So I painted corners of the village, but also figures and themes from its history, e.g. the mothers who fell off the cliff with their children in their arms, so that the Turks would not catch them, in 1822 in the great massacre of Chios. But also the strong earthquake that almost destroyed the settlement in 1881, the story of the teacher who committed suicide relatively recently with her little boy, and many others.
The house I lived in with my family in the town had a lovely garden, decorated with ponds and rock gardens of quartz, limestone, and various special rocks brought in by my husband. Then I started going to the quarries to the crushers, the marble shops, and even looking for special stones in Turkey. I carried them to my workshop, sat, and watched them carefully for hours. It was necessary to decide how and from where my subject would be best painted. It was important that they were cut correctly, and that they stood nicely. Many times I had to put them on logs or olive roots, to fill in metal, animal horns, and many other materials I had found in the mountains.ure of sharing all of this with you!
They had to be thoroughly washed and taken up to the workshop to be painted, and varnished. Later I learned from some strangers that some of them were energy stones and considered semi-precious ones.
I was told that depending on their hue and purity, and the hand that has picked them from nature, they help to remove negative energy and the evil eye from our space. They are a shield of protection from the radiation of the environment, because of their electromagnetic forces. They balance the neurophytic system and strengthen our immune system, as long as we keep them close to us. They give spiritual balance, harmony, ensure calm and peace. They soothe dizzy migraines, help with insomnia, and intestinal problems. In India and elsewhere they are used as amulets.
They also open the heart chakra and we become more receptive to all forms of love.The Chinese believe they can change a person's life, bringing health, wealth, love and abundance.
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At times they need cleansing and energy charging, which is done as follows. We take it out into the sun about a quarter of an hour in the middle of the day, touch it and think of something bright, whatever good we want to happen. Another way of cleansing is to take it out in the storm. Also when there is a full moon we dip it in salt water, make a wish and leave it out overnight. These should also be done when the crystal changes hands. I also learned that stones that have holes through them bring power to the place, and to the one who holds them. I learned a lot of this on the cruise ships where I worked as a painter.
Because I was away for a long time, I decided to dress the entire exterior of the house with rocks and paint the stories I mentioned so that visitors would have something to look at. Everything was done with my editing, even the collection of stones. Where and how they would be placed since I knew in advance what the theme would be. I left space in many places to plant wild plants and flowers. In some corners, I made sure that small waterfalls ran. In the end, no one believed that the rocks were placed by a human hand. I painted all the stories told by the last village elders on my rocks.
Over time, my house became an attraction for Greeks and foreigners alike. I gave it the name "The Rock House of Art." Slowly, several National and International TV channels began to visit it, to feature it with me as I painted. I worked for many years to complete it.
Later, when for personal reasons I decided to stay in Athens, I realized that big rocks are hard to move. At first, I cut them in half and placed them on wood because the canvas could not support them. But it was still difficult to exhibit in distant destinations, as I have done in recent years. So my husband and I thought about painting them on canvas. My rock paintings can be put in hotel lobbies, gardens, courtyards, swimming pools balconies, fireplaces, doorways, arches, and furniture. The same can be done in homes and public spaces. At last, depending on the mythology and history of each place, we can create our themes.
As my beloved likes to say "we live like mortals and create like immortals!" Thank you for giving me the pleasure of sharing all of this with you!
Maria Sarri Belle