Artist
Statement

The sun is about to rise. How beautiful a morning awakening is! I open the shutters, breathe deeply, ready to “embroider” colors. My day begins after I take care of myself first, whispering sweet words to my own soul, a kind greeting — oh, my dear friend!

Then I meticulously clean my beloved stone house and step into my little courtyard. I shake out my handwoven rag rugs, made from old clothes — faded dreams that stubbornly refuse to end, transforming instead into new forms, living again. I dress my old bed with white embroidered sheets carrying my monogram — my dowry linens, as we call them on the island. I carefully arrange the white crochet pieces on all the shelves and antique furniture.
By now, the sun has fully risen. I step outside to water the flowers in my hanging garden. The painted stones that embrace my house are adorned with dozens of colorful blossoms, waiting for the fresh spring water. Once I finish, I prepare my coffee, slowly roasted in hot ash, and sit at my little stone table, savoring the morning breeze.

Then I get ready for my daily walk through the surrounding hills. In the forest, the birds await me, singing endlessly. Butterflies dance above my head. Snails, lizards, turtles, and rabbits — all gathered as one big family. The green-yellow hue at the edges of the stone path blends beautifully with the grays, browns, and beiges of the rocks. On these rocks grow wild orchids, cyclamens, violets, daisies, and vibrant wild carnations.

I gather twigs, roots, leaves, and magnificent stones that resemble sculptures. Quartz crystals, in various shades, gleam like true diamonds. In small pouches, I collect powdered pigments from the heart of the trees — reds, yellows, browns, ochres, and whites from the earth. I also collect soft stones that I crush in a mortar to create an incredible natural palette.

I return to my stone house exhausted yet filled with joy. I first drink cool water, enjoying a spoon sweet — perhaps my homemade wild rose petal preserve, or my favorite “sykalaki” (fig preserve), or pistachios that I harvest from my own field — all perfect little delights.

Afterwards, I wash the stones thoroughly and start to observe them from every angle, seeking the best surface to paint. I speak to them, as if they wish to share their stories with me. Each one is unique, different from the next. This fascinates me — I explore them, slowly decipher them, searching deep inside.

On other days, I work on my canvas. I begin by applying thick paint, almost like mud, building layers upon layers using colors I make myself: from tree powders, leaves, earth, and quartz. I mix them with Chios mastic oil. I apply them with my hands, a palette knife, sticks, toothbrushes, straws, even pieces of pine bark.

I love to experiment — sometimes removing, sometimes adding. I pour transparent layers of crushed quartz and liquid glass. I believe my works offer the viewer powerful emotions from afar, while up close, intricate details and rich textures are revealed.

I use my entire self — body, mind, and soul — to create. I combine strength and softness, smoothness and relief, roughness and velvet.

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I have been increasingly drawn to abstract painting, always infused with nature, and often including the human figure, either abstract or subtly suggested. Painting, for me, is an inner immersion, a revelation, a dive into our dreamy and spiritual world.

For me, painting is a way of life. It is the flame that must rise to the surface, to breathe, to give life to its own existence. It is a passionate, colorful, and deeply intimate act of completion.