Thursday, July 9, 2015

I need your honest opinion...



I wanted to finish a series of stories for children and I had it in my mind for months. This morning I finally started. I have a feeling that it is rather dark. Shall I continue writing something else or shall I just stick with it? I need your honest opinion...


Irini’s stories #1 Love thyself as you would others. 
It was a cold winter night. The empty streets in the small city of Kena and the complete darkness suggested everybody was asleep at 10 o’ clock. A small shadow appeared in the side way, and it start
ed getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until a small girl came out in the street lights. 
She was about 12 to 13. Her body slim and fit, her shoulders and chest broad. She walked thoughtful carrying a black backpack with a wolf design patch sewed on the front pocket. She wore a black suit with a hood and the only thing that revealed she was a girl in the darkness of the night was a pink ribbon hanging at her cheek, tying her hair into a long braid. 
She suddenly turned into a small alley and stopped in front of a house with a blue door. She opened her bag, and took out a set of keys. Unlocking the door, she appeared in front of a circular room. Curving openings led to different rooms. No doors. No conventional furniture. Everything was built; the table, the sittings, the kitchen stool, the large book case that dominated the atmosphere looking ready to embrace the little girl. 
“Irini, are you here, darling?” 
“Yes, mum! I just got in.”
A woman with a turquoise satin robe appeared. Her luscious, red, curly, long hair hung loose at her back making a red wavy sea crowning her beautiful face and giving gave her an air of a queen. She looked at her daughter with immense love as always, hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. 
“How was the practice, love?”
Irini looked at her with a look of despair in her eyes. 
“I do not know. I keep failing the teacher. I just can’t do half of the stuff. It is so difficult, and yet….”
“Yes, go on…” 
“It makes me feel like flying. I feel like a turtle and yet, I feel like I am flying at the same time. Capoeira is just amazing. I am listening to the music and pictures come out of my mind and the world is beautiful, full of light. And then, I look in the mirror. And I am still here, ugly and clumsy and it is just not working out. I fail myself and my teacher.”
Her mother takes her in her arms and gives her a big hug. 
“My Irini, you will always be my baby, you know that. But, I feel like you are growing. And while you do that you will learn to accept who you are. You told me

Sunday, June 14, 2015

And voila! Everything comes to light!

And it is done! Aaaaa... That feeling of accomplishment and joy!

Hidden Faces in Hidden Places! script by ©Vasiliki Xyfteri

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B745Tgw5uwZRNWdiTHRjQjVjYU0/edit

Sunday, March 29, 2015

10$ ? 10.000.000$ ? Feelings? Thoughts?

http://petapixel.com/2015/03/21/the-10-ikea-piece-an-interesting-social-experiment-on-the-value-of-art/

And how you value art indeed?

What is valuable in art?

Does the value of a masterpiece consists of a price tag or how it makes people think and feel?

WOW... Too many questions... Don't you just love those?

Thursday, March 26, 2015

The real journey in the maze has began...

Now... I thought,since I asked you to participate in thoughts and feelings, why not ask you to join me here, as well?
For the last weeks, my head has been tossing and twirling on the following scenarios:
1. Shall I put all the characters together and create a havoc of personalities and stories?
2. Shall I select and distribute characters in certain environments placed in certain scenes?
3. Shall I make a monologue with the artist's thoughts and feelings (that would be moi!) and have the portraits echo their thoughts and feelings of the audience? (At that point the various personalities on the canvases started complaining and expressing arguments about the importance of each and I had severe headaches!)
4. Shall I create a journey around earth and face the characters along the way?

.... The possibilities are endless and thus excite me, but, alas, delay me as well... 

I posed the questions out there... 

Hopefully, I 'll get some help to get out of the maze... 


And the hunting in my mind goes on and on and on...

For those who have creative artistic minds, I salute you my brothers and sisters! 
It has taken me more than a month to decide how on earth I am going to put all the characters in one play. The insights of the viewers and commentators of my paintings left me in awe. I knew most of them commented and felt like conversing with them through their thoughts and feelings. 
What blew off my mind, though, and scared me, and still gives me the creeps, was my own thoughts and feelings. 
I came to love and respect and converse and sympathize with my creations, so much, that I started hearing their voices and feelings, giving them a full set of personal traits. Eventually, I ended up having a real trouble setting their personas into a full script play with equal time on stage and equal role! 
So the very least I can do (and thank God that by the time I put the numbers on the paintings, the portraits just stared and remained silent in my head!) is to present them to you... 
Take the numbers as they come, and not into account any other factor like personal favourites for example, otherwise my creations will start talking to me again...

So without further ado, let me introduce you...

Painting #1. Title "Don't." The little girl hiding behind a soldier. Is that tears in her eyes? That is to be revealed in the play... 



Painting # 2. Title " Are you coming?..." A man on a motorcycle. Fantasy of many women, mine included. Where would he take me I wonder.. 



Painting #3. Title "The mistake..." Is the mistake part of the story behind the story or shall I take it as I see it?



Painting #4. Title "There..." There in eyes you can see where the man is taking you. Or can't you?



Painting #5. Title "Maybe..." Maybe I 'll take the mask off or maybe I 'll let you wonder? What is a mask but a tool to hide thoughts and feelings, no?



Painting #6. Title "Well..." Well, what you see is what  you get. Or isn't it?



Painting #7. Title "What do you think?" What do you think I am thinking, I am reading, I am watching... The choice is yours. 



Painting #8. Title " Mmmm ..." Mmm what a nice coffee, what a nice life, what a mystery in my eyes...



Painting #9. Title "I don't know...." I don't know why. Do you?



And last but not least Painting #10. Title "Are you ready?..." Are you ready? Am I ready?... We 'll see... 



And from then on... 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Why not?

Why not try to do in life what you always dreamt of? 
It is simple actually! Make a list of all the things you wished you do in your life and work towards them. That's it! 
A year ago, I held a painting exhibition with an intention to answer questions that mingle with my mind. "Can the viewer of art be part of an art project?", "Is art the privilege of a selected few?"
You see, raised in a middle class family in Greece, the fourth daughter of my family, I always thought that certain areas are forbidden for me. Like the arts. 
My immediate family did not salute the whole thing. One of my sister's reaction was: "Why did you do that? This is for the rich girls!" 
Well, the fact was that in life you need imagination, work, good friends, faith and determination. The rest, is part of the journey. 
I learnt some valuable lessons and went on. 

My project's name is "Hidden Faces In Hidden Places". 

And the inspiration behind it, was Maria Callas. I was watching this picture of hers. Such a strong look and yet such a sad story behind it. (http://www.opera-club.net/img/nlnov/Maria_Callas.jpg)

How that woman hid her whole drama behind her roles?  How people hide behind things, yet revealed to those who have the chance to look closer? I decided to paint portraits of people hidden behind things. And then elicit probable truths from the viewers. (Can art be created by a person who is not named officially an "artist" and yet all her life she has been artistically expressed?)
"What do you think are the thoughts and feelings of the person in the painting?", "How do you feel and what do you think when you see the person in the painting?". 

The comments were remarkable. But life had different plans and it took me a year to work with them. So for the following weeks, I will work with the material and come up with a theatrical play. The remaining of the journey would be how to make a production out of it. But that is another story. ... Stay tuned. 





P.S I had tremendous help from Mrs. Despoina, the lady behind the cafe Hamogelo where the exhibition was held, a friend who left my life, Aspa and dear Lenia who sponsored my exhibition by commissioning with a work of art for her place. Huge thanks to the three ladies and all the participants.