Can you share a bit about your journey as an artist? What inspired you to start creating?
My journey to creating artistically started very young. For me creating is how I’ve learned to move and exist in this world. Each step bringing me to the next. It's how I live. It’s my means of existing. I think I would die if I didn’t paint. Before painting I was a clothing designer. Before that I worked in creative studios and for interior designers. It’s just that it wasn’t till I was an adult and mother that I understood myself enough to allow myself the freedom to express the way I do when I paint. It’s how I process the world and transmute my emotions. There’s a special kind of vulnerability that comes with creating. You have to allow yourself to be seen in whatever way the world will perceive you. I had this aha moment once I accepted that. I would say the inspiration to create was from that concept alone. That I had something to say and it would be that of my own.
What does your creative process look like? Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into the flow of creating your artwork
My creative process is an intimate one. I definitely boarder the line of madness and reality. My studio is my sanctuary where I express myself entirely. I like to be alone with myself where the canvas becomes like a sponge and I get to dump everything swirling inside of me. It’s consuming and swallows me even. Music is a big part of my process. I like to light frankincense and create space energetically for me to be really present while I paint. I take everything else off. All the other hats I wear in this world. Mother, lover, friend and obligations and I give myself the room I need to paint. It’s a completely immersive process as I paint with my hands, I become a bit undone. I feel I come out reborn each time. Usually covered in paint and renewed spirit once finished.
How do our products resonate with your artistic vision and lifestyle?
I’ve been a fan of ZZ for a long time. I love that the brand sorta has this way of embodying nostalgia and this sense of bliss. I feel my art works represent a lot of the same. The brand simply aligns with my own expression.
What are some of the key inspirations behind your art? Are there particular themes or experiences that you often draw from?
I'm inspired by many things, growing up in south Florida with the ocean as my muse. there’s all kinds of tropics and culture where I’m from. My Greek and native heritage is an huge inspiration. I like to always give a nod to my Mediterranean roots. That’s why you’ll see lemons and fish within my works. But lots of things inspire me. Sometimes I zoom in on big moments by holding my hand up to my eyes like a scope and just look at one flower on the whole tree for example. Or the stranger at the beach laughing, or the way the palms sway and dance. The world is filled with tragedy at the moment and I like to create from a state of joy so I do what I call “collect gratitude” and I build off of that emotional state. I’m also in real time healing my inner child. I often paint from memory. I’ll go back in and change the narrative I once told myself. My painting is also my re-parenting. It sounds sorta funny but it’s my process.
Where can people see what you have coming up next?
I have an upcoming solo show titled “Yassou Yassou” in Houston Texas at Southern Kindness Gallery. Opening night is October 4th. I’ll be at an artist residency for the month of September preparing for the show. You can keep up with my progress over on Instagram @papou____
Is there a particular playlist that you love and often listen to while creating your art?
I create my own playlists since music is a big part of painting for me. I think you’ll enjoy. Listen HERE.