Clockwise from top: Miss Piggy, Goddess of Wonder ‘Pink Heart’, She-Ra, Sweet Secrets ‘Gleamie’, Cabbage Patch doll, & Wee Wild Things ‘Ruby Doobie’
My old toys
neglected
by the passage of time
once so beloved
they mourn for me.
Just playing with the hues. I prefer these photos to the original ones, the flowers look more dramatic and ‘artsy’ 😉
So many lives have been lost in the past few months from the countless deaths of the Syrian refugees in the mediterranean to the many deaths in Paris last night. Not since the second world war Europe has not had to deal with so much. We can pray and be positive that things will change and this world will become a better and safer place, but the way things have escalated I can’t help but be cynical about the future of humanity.
‘Love Kills’ photo shop illustration by Angela Zafiris
Being loved can give us strength, but if the wrong person is loving us, then it can kill us.. so be careful who you give your heart out to.
The inspiration behind my digital collage was the ‘Economist’ magazine cover featuring the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite holding a pistol aimed at-not at me but at the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The image of Aphrodite de milo as well as her reputation has suffered rampant abuse by many European publications in recent years. Her image ‘hijacked’, and defaced to serve up hostile messages from science and business magazines that were targeting financially strapped Greece. The irony in all this is that we are not talking about love, but about money. They could have used Hermes who is the god of commerce, financial gain and he’s also the messenger so it would be more fitting to use him to deliver the message, but instead the goddess of love was used. Is it because business people love money? So with so much hostility for Greece why didn’t they use (abuse) Ares the God of war? The many statues of Ares are very famous too. A few are located at the same museum, the Louvre in Paris, as the ‘Aphrodite de milo’. Perhaps Ares wasn’t used because he looks too strong to represent Greeks. On the other hand, Aphrodite looks more vulnerable because she is a woman and nude. I know it’s sexist, but we are living in a hostile patriarchical society.. so I guess I just answered my previous question.
I guess a small positive side in all of this is that it inspired my art. I thought I would use her image as well and put her in a more fitting scene where she is not out of her element since she was born in the ocean.
I laughed a lot when I saw this cover. Yes, I will make your day!
And the award for the rudest cover of them all goes to..
‘Desensitezed/Aπευαισθητοποιημενα’ digital collage
‘Pass the sunscreen!’.
‘Hey! That dinosaur is blocking my sun!’
Well, it was supposed to be a fun day at the beach, and unfortunately a few catastrophic events happened. Everyone remained unfazed. Stay cool and calm people..
‘The Immaculate Heat’ mixed-media collage on canvas
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. -Matthew 5:8
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
«Ο καλλιτέχνης δεν ξέρει ποτέ εντελώς. Υποθέτουμε. Μπορεί να είναι λάθος. αλλά παίρνουμε άλμα μετά από άλμα στο σκοτάδι. “-Agnes de mille (Αμερικανός Xορευτής)
Unfortunately, stray cats and dogs are common sight all over Greece. These photographs were taken on a mountain just west of Athens. During the drive through the mountain I noticed many dogs, some like the ones pictured above, that didn’t look like they really belonged there; they were most likely abandoned by their owners. These strays seemed so foreign to this environment in comparison to the other dogs there that were a lot more wild than these friendlier ones. On the positive side, there have been some changes made in the past few years by Greeks. The mentality is a lot different, as people have become more sensitive towards animals and there are more cat and dog owners than ever. However, the financial crisis has been a major set back for those who want to help the animals and the government isn’t doing enough as other issues take precedent over the stray animal population.
Click here to see the people who are taking action and you can adopt a pet if you want 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/Greek-strays-up-for-adoption-217166981719549/timeline/
‘Slow but steady wins the race.’ A quote from my favourite childhood fable ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ by ancient Greek storyteller Aesop. In the fable, the humble slow-moving tortoise wins the race when the arrogant fast-moving hare seemed like he was sure to win. This is a great moral lesson in humility, something that is missing in our modern times.
My Creative Wayz 