Thursday, January 22, 2009

Some Thoughts about Flowers



The year 2009 was ushered in with a great river of pain and suffering, which forced me to leave behind my vocation and my artwork, as well as my family, and I moved to my second home, in the USA, in order to recover. Here, I am staying and am cared for by my second family, Sophia Nancy & Timothy Birk.

There are many things that I could say about this rough river, but this is not the time nor the place. That which I would like to talk about, believe it or not, is flowers.

One could ask, after that river of pain, 'you want to talk about flowers?' YES, I want to talk about flowers in my artwork.

Wherever we look in the entire world, under all conditions, under all terrains, subterrains, submerged areas such as seas and rivers, lakes, even the desert, one will find flowers.

Flowers are the beginning of all fruits, vegetables, fragrances, and are expressions of gentle feelings. This is the reason I am very glad to include them in my art. Most, if not all, artists have used flowers as an inspiration. They are so light, so gentle, so beautiful, so fragrant. They give the maximum and they ask for the minimum. One might be influenced by their brilliant colors, their aroma, their stature, their blossoming frequency, the terrain in which they grow, or the lack thereof. I include them in my art because I love them, because I think that this is a way for me to offer flowers to God and to the Saints, and last, but not least, they make my art look good.

May the world always be full of flowers. May the world be filled with their fragrance. May the world keep discovering flowers in all places and in all people and in all things. May the hearts of people and their souls be filled with the fragrance of flowers and with the frangrance of the Holy Spirit.

father Kyriakos

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Exhibit Opening: "Two Men Solo"


The Consul General of Thessaloniki, Brian Hoyt Yee, and I at the exhibit opening on December 8, 2008.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Christ, the Sower


Material: Linden wood
Dimensions: 50 x 35 x 10 cm.
Location: Will be in Kent, Ohio, USA, currently in Thessaloniki, Greece
Completed: October 23, 2008
Particularities: This icon is the payment of the bet between Sophia and I. I lost the bet and obviously, she won. The bet was whether the word "papsarati" (not paparazzi) exists or not.
This icon will be in the upcoming exhibit from Dec. 2008, to Jan. 2009 at one of the Exhibit Halls of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. Then it will be travelling to Kent, Ohio, USA.

St. Nicholas


Material: Linden Wood
Dimensions: 35 x 50 x 5 cm.
Location: It will be in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, after April, 2009
Completed: October 16, 2008
Particularities: This is a gift from me to Nicholas, who is my great great nephew, whose bed I have taken while I was hopsitalized and to Kelly, his mother, to whom I owe a great deal in appreciation, with my love and gratitude.
This icon will be in the upcoming exhibit from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2009 at one of the Exhibit Halls of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

St. Spyridon


Material: Linden wood
Dimensions: 50 x 35 x 5 cm.
Location: American Farm School, Thessaloniki, Greece
Completed: October 7, 2008
Particularities: A very beloved saint. This icon will be in the upcoming exhibit from Dec. 2008, to Jan. 2009 at one of the Exhibit Halls of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

Thursday, September 25, 2008

St. George

Material: Red Beech
Dimensions: 144 x 49 x 11 cm.
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Completed: September 24, 2008
Particularities: This icon was made to be in the upcoming exhibit of Dec. 12 to Jan. 10 at one of the Exhibit Hall of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

St. Cleopatra


Material: Poplar
Dimensions: approximately 30 x 40 x 4 cm.
Location: Peabody, Massachusetts
Completed: 1990
Particularities: Schoolmate and presently brother in Christ, Father Chris Foustoukos, came to me and asked me if I had an icon of St. Cleopatra. A week later, I was able to find a drawing of St. Cleopatra from the Old Calendarist Monastery in Brookline. I made the icon and it was a surprise to his wife, Cleopatra, who fell in love with it
When I finished carving this icon, I thought I had done the "world". I thought that I was the best. I carved into new depths with a new type of frame and a new beauty. This was definitely a turning point of my carving. I had made 200 pictures of the icon and put my labels on the back with my contact information as a form of advertisement. Most if not all people were stunned by the beauty of the icon and the fact that there was an icon of St. Cleopatra. Most people did not know that there was a St. Cleopatra. Some people sent this picture to their relatives whose name is Cleopatra.