The Confessions Questionnaire

Your name/nickname.

Lydia.

Current mood in one word.

Drifting.

What is your favourite dish?

Anything with chickpeas and/or feta cheese.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

Favourite place you’ve travelled to and why?

Mount Nebo, Jordan. I often think about the mosaics by the Memorial Church of Moses.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I currently have a desire to explore regions within Greece such as Kastoria and Karpenisi.

What is your favourite artwork?

My favourite artwork (currently) is Agnes Martin’s ‘Summer’, 1964. I’ve always been fond of Martin’s extensive use of the grid, and in this particular painting, the way the colour bleeds through the lines with varying intensity, I find extremely beautiful.

Favourite movie?

Tarantino’s Death Proof.

Favourite book or poem and why?

Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Your Life Motto or favourite quote?

Love and Art.

Can you describe your favourite building?

A former tobacco factory turned Contemporary Art and social space in the center of Athens. The intricacy of the roof within the atrium floods the space with almost blinding light.

What or who inspires you the most in life?

Anything discarded is a common source of inspiration, from books to forlorn household objects. The way the colours change and transform within the setting of the studio directly impacts my work.

Three unique things about where you live?

Proximity to the mountains and the sea. Cafes turning into bars. No logic to city planning.

What is an object you treasure most?

An archaic mirror my great grandfather unearthed in the 70’s in the garden of my childhood home in Athens.

A piece of advice you’d give to your younger self.

Don’t lift heavy marble things.

How do you escape a creative block?

Visiting the National Archaeological Museum, going to a life drawing class, having a swim in the sea regardless of the time of year.

Do you have a favourite colour?

Every few months the colour I am most drawn to changes. However magenta remains the most irresistible of all colours.

Favourite art tool?

Favourite art tool is a chicken feather paintbrush my father gifted me from China.

Is your studio messy or tidy?

There is certainly an order to the complete mess of my studio.

Why did you become an artist?

I became an artist because I can’t not draw.

What is the most challenging or exciting thing about being an artist?

I think something which remains challenging throughout an artist’s life is the lack of structure and often feeling out of balance.

Craziest artistic experiment you've tried.

During an exhibition with the Ministry of Culture, I used goat excrement and iconography pigments.

Funniest criticism you’ve received.

An artist mentor, who is a friend of mine, recently said “I love your new paintings; they feel less girly- less Powerpuff girls.”

Describe your style in three words.

My style in three words… asymmetrical, fragmented, symbolic.

Most memorable artistic achievement.

When I got to spend some time on Antony Gormley’s estate in Norfolk, drawing in a beautiful studio surrounded by acres and acres of nature.

Dream collaboration (with someone dead or alive)

I’d quite like to write a story with Leonora Carrington.

If you could exhibit anywhere, where would it be?

Yorkshire Sculpture Park.