Author: Angela Zafiris

Hello! I'm a Artist/Writer/Photographer who lives in Athens, Greece. I have many creative ways from writing, photography, collage art, mixed-media art and poetry. I love sharing my work with people from all over the world through my blog.

Arcadian Mountains/Battle of Drabala

A few weeks ago I paid a long overdue visit to my fathers’ village called Akovos in Arcadia. The village has a very beautiful and rugged mountainous landscape where many battles were fought in ancient and modern times. I arrived on the day of a memorial service that takes place every year at Aghia Paraskevi church (near Akovos village) which over looks the landscape called ‘Drabala’  A very important battle  took place at the site called the ‘Battle of Drabala’ ( June 5-7 1825) This is where the fierce battle for Greek  independence against the Ottoman Turks unfolded.  To commemorate the death of the soldiers wreaths were layed at the statue of Greek independence war hero Theodoros Kolokotronis.  Then there was a moment of silence  followed by Greek soldiers singing the national anthem.

Memorial For the ‘Battle of Drabala’ (June 5-7 1825) Wreaths at the statue of Greek leader of Independence Theodoros Kolokotronis

Greek Soldiers’ Instruments

Greek Soldiers’ Instruments

Superwoman
Superwoman

Mixed-media collage on 24 x 32 cm canvas panel by Angela Zafiris

Women have always worn many ‘hats’.  There are so many roles that women have had  to play for thousands of years. It is no wonder that women are known to be better ‘multi-taskers’ than men. Not all women want the same things in life. Not all women want careers and not all women want to be wives and/or mothers. Fortunately, women have more choices than they have ever had, but this of course varies from country to country and from family to family. But,  I know, for example, that in Greece women are not forced into marriage like they were so long ago. And they have a greater voice than they ever did.  Lets not forgot that in Ancient Greece women were not allowed to leave the house alone or have any say about politics and other matters.  I feel that many women today forget the struggles that women in the past had to endure and still do around the world.  It’s important to study the past and to think about how some things have changed and improved and how somethings have not. There are women who are overwhelmed by the choices we have today and who yearn for the time when we had none. I would suggest that those women educate themselves a little more and look back at the conditions that women were living in that prompted them to rise up and to demand equality and respect.

My Movie Mind/Το Κινηματογραφικο Μου Μυαλο

Mixed-media collage painting
By Angela Zafiris

My mind is a movie mind and aside from making art and taking photographs I also like to write screenplays .  This side of my creativity is what inspired me to make this collage. I am a very visual person I can see things in my mind that I have never seen before. I see the people, and the places in my mind. I hear the dialogue between the characters; which at times is  funny and other times is sad.  I don’t need the television or a movie theatre to entertain me. It’s all in my mind 🙂

The background is composed of torn images from magazines. I painted the background with orange and blue acrylics. I then added pieces of paper from magazines added a layer of Gesso. After it dried I  painted over the papers with turquoise  acrylic paint and set it to dry. I made an outline of a human profile and I painted it yellow. Then I made a movie projector and painted it yellow as well.

Egocentric/Ο Εγωκεντρικός

Collage on paper by Angela Zafiris

I was inspired to make this collage after thinking about the ego. The ‘ego’, from the Greek word ‘Εγω’ ‘I,’ can propel us to do great things in our lives. We can reach great heights, higher stations in life. But, too much egotism, and an overuse of the word ‘I’ can bring about a great downfall. There should be a balance and we must think of the group. We have always been part of a group. We are tribal people and forever will be, even though many modern people have taken solitary paths.  I believe that we are at our most happiest when what we do benefits the group, because that’s what we have always been doing on this earth. Every one of our actions was for the benefit of the group.

 “The problem is that we have allowed our egos, the part of us which believes that we are separate from God and separate from each other, to dominate our lives.”

~ Wayne Dyer

Athens Street Photos/Δρομοι Της Αθηνας

It was a beautiful and sunny day in downtown Athens. And of course , like the tourist that I am, I had to take photographs of the unique little streets of Athens.

Ηταν μια πολυ ωραια και ηλιολουστη μερα στο κεντρο της Αθηνας. Εννοειται οτι επρεπε, σαν μια τουριστρια, να φωτογραφησω τα γραφικα σοκακια  της Αθηνας.

Plug It In!

Bustling Side Street

Move That Car!

Now This Is Inspiring!

Hmmm that bread looks yummy!

Helmuts? No! This Is Athens

Old Parliament Building/Παλιά Βουλή

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Last Saturday I ventured downtown to get a few art supplies at an art and hobby store. As I was walking down Stadiou St. I noticed the old parliament building. In  the  past I  have stood in front of it to take pictures of the statue of Greek General Theodoros Kolokotronis who is depicted riding a horse . I had never been inside the building, but that day something came over me and I decided to follow the group of people that were heading into the building. There was no entrance fee or anything and I was free to wander everywhere.  The building was built in 1875 with plans by French architect Francois Boulanger and with foundations that were layed by Queen Amalia of Bavarian origin. After the Greek war of independence Greece had a monarchy for a short time that began in the late 19th century.The building has ceased to be used as a parliament building in 1932. The current parliament building is located at Syntagma square.

The parliament building is now the National Historical Museum. When I walked in I was awe-struck by the amount of historical artifacts that are displayed in the old building, from the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 to the Second World War.  Also, there are costumes and works of art from drawings to paintings and statues from different time periods and many weapons that were used during the many wars that Greece participated in.

 

Breaking Free/Ελευθερια

Torn Paper collage by Angela Zafiris

For a very long time I would see, in my mind,  a woman being released from her isolation.  I saw her walls breaking down. She walked alone with the wind behind her pushing her toward the blue sky. The sun is coming out of the clouds and is ready to greet her. She doesn’t know what fate has in store for her but has an undying hope. Green symbolizes hope this is why she wears a green dress instead of black which symbolizes mourning.  This woman mourns no more…

In this collage I used bits of torn blue paper from magazines for the sky. Torn bits of brown paper for the bricks and green for the females’ dress. The papers were glued on 34 x22 cm cardboard paper.