Welcome! A few words about me.
A few words about me.
Hello my colour-loving friends! A few words about me and what my blog is about. My name is Helene but I am also called Lena or Lenochka by my family. Although born and educated (mostly) in the UK I now live just outside Athens, Greece close to the sea, which is where I grew up and recall my happiest childhood memories. The sea is a continuous source of inspiration for me and I honestly don’t think I could ever live very far from it!
I feel very fortunate to have my own studio at the top of my house where I love spending endless hours researching, exploring, studying, reading, experimenting, practicing and creating my artwork.
Overcoming obstacles to lead a creative life
A creative/artistic life wasn’t encouraged while I was growing up and I had many obstacles to overcome towards this, but I’m definitely making up for that now!
What this blog is about
In writing this blog/journal I want to document and share my creative life and love of colour, my thoughts and processes, what and who inspires me, my travels, experiences and discoveries, and in so doing perhaps inspire you too.
Where it began
My creative path began at the London School of Fashion where I studied industrial fashion design and manufacture followed by studies in interior design while working full time on cruise ships! My fascination and love of bold, bright patterns and spaces soon led me down the path of designing my own surface patterns which I applied to hand knotted rugs, hand made cement tiles, textiles, wood and more!
While practicing interior design as a freelancer, teaching english as a foreign language and translating books I also attended local painting classes and ceramics workshops. Then in 2014 I was asked to participate in a group art exhibition in Athens exhibiting my tactile artworks on wood, which I create using a technique that has become pretty much my signature trademark. This gave me the encouragement and motivation to continue following my dream of leading an even more creative life.
About my artwork
In my artwork I like to paint what brings me joy. My art is very much informed by my education and practice in interior design; as for me a room full of colour is a room full of joy! Colour harmony and balance play an integral role in my creative joy and expression. Bold colors and whimsical design elements feature a lot in my art.
I am at my best when I allow myself to create intuitively, allowing my muse to flow through me. Moments like that are heaven. But, like many, I am always working to overcome my inner critic.
One (large) part of my artwork is borne from a fascination with the natural world, in particular the underwater world, my own heritage and a lifetime of travel and exposure to diverse cultures -as mentioned earlier, I worked on cruise ships for 8 years until I had my daughter. My design work is also defined by a lavish and expressive use of elements, abstract shapes, symbols, motifs and repeat patterns inspired by elements of local (Greek) as well as international folk art.
Always curious and exploring other media and techniques
Apart from the tactile art I create on wood I also enjoy exploring other media and materials and, more recently, I have taken a deep dive into the world of textile arts applying my designs and ideas to this rich medium encompassing a vast range of techniques developing and enriching my skills and range of work.
In telling you a little about me I could not omit my love of photography and which has now become a wonderful tool that helps me observe our colourful world in greater detail and which I use to reference ideas and subjects for my art.
I am inspired by a lifetime of travel and exposure to diverse cultures and, while it wasn’t always this way, I now unapologetically follow my own style, beat & rhythm. My application of colour has always been primarily intuitive. Colour feeds my senses. It needs to be harmonious and balanced, sometimes bold and loud, at other times soft and quiet. I ‘listen’ to it and have a conversation with it. In a sense I am a conduit for whatever I am creating wants to be and say.
I m constantly inspired and fascinated by the art of other artists and artisans and will be sharing more of that in this blog both for my own and my readers reference, interest and enjoyment.
Finally, I also intend to dd a shop where I can sell my own art and products.
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Thank you so much!