In the spring of 2021 I spent three months at Hellenic International Studies in the Arts (HISA) on the island of Paros. My main focus there was painting, but I also took classes in Creative Writing, Classical Literature, Cycladic Art History, and Modern Greek language, all of which informed the content of my paintings.
Leda and the Swan (acrylic, 16x20 in.)| inspired by the Greek myth in which Zeus takes the form of a swan in order to "seduce" (according to some versions, anyhow) the princess Leda, eventually leading to the births of two sets of famous twins: Castor & Pollux, and Helen & Clytemnestra.
Ekatontapiliani (acrylic, 10x20 in.) | This painting combines various imagery with objects and architectural elements from Panagia Ekatontapiliani (a church in Parikia, Paros).
Hector and Achilles (watercolor, 8x12 in.)| Illustration to accompany a scene from Homer's Iliad, Book XXII: "The Death of Hector"
“And here, close to the springs, lie washing-pools
scooped out in the hollow rocks and broad and smooth
where the wives of Troy and all their lovely daughters
would wash their glistening robes in the old days,
the days of peace before the sons of Achaea came…
scooped out in the hollow rocks and broad and smooth
where the wives of Troy and all their lovely daughters
would wash their glistening robes in the old days,
the days of peace before the sons of Achaea came…
Past these they raced, one escaping, one in pursuit
and the one being pursued was great, but the one pursuing
greater, even greater––their pace mounting in speed
since both men strove, not for a sacrificial beast
or oxhide trophy, prizes runners fight for, no,
they raced for the life of Hector, breaker of horses.”
and the one being pursued was great, but the one pursuing
greater, even greater––their pace mounting in speed
since both men strove, not for a sacrificial beast
or oxhide trophy, prizes runners fight for, no,
they raced for the life of Hector, breaker of horses.”