Self portrait - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
Katerina Chadoulou: The girl who captured magic in a piece of paper
"Horses 1" - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
BPP: Who you are? And who you really are?
Katerina Chadoulou: My
name is Katerina Chadoulou, I was born
on the 6th of June in 1980 in Italy and I grew up in Greece. I am a painter/illustrator and I
studied in the Athens School of Fine Arts.
Ever
since I was a little girl I was extremely
fascinated by fairy tales and tried to create images based on what I
heard, after 30 years I still feel like a little girl trying to capture magic
in a piece of paper.
BPP: If you
could say something important you've learned all these years of your life, to
the other people and they were able to listen to you, what would you like to
tell them?
Katerina Chadoulou: 1.
Motivation (and inspiration) can be found in the most unexpected places, in the
people you love (even if it not in return) and in the hidden lights of the
darkest times.
"The Collector part I, detail" - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
Katerina Chadoulou: 2.
Whatever it is you do, whether you are a gardener, a painter or a baker just
love it, put your soul in it and be the best in it. Great gardens, great art
and great muffins are made like this.
BPP: What is
your real dream, the one that keeps you awake at nights and if one day it will
come true, you will feel your heart calm and peaceful?
Katerina Chadoulou: Most
of my agonies, my dreams and hopes
concern my work, most of the times I am stressed that I will never have enough
time to draw all these ideas that are temporarily hosted on post-its all over
the walls. I just want to do what I do in the best possible way, regardless of
what comes next.
And
i dream of a simple, good life with my family and friends.
"The Collector part I" - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
BPP: How is
life for the people in your country today? What do you wish to happen to them
at to the people of this planet at large?
Katerina Chadoulou: Greece
is going through a really dark and “tough” phase , everyone knows things are
pretty bad for us right now. So, as you can imagine, depression and
pessimism is the general feeling .As far
as I am concerned –and trust me , I’ve never been the optimistic type-I am
trying to see the good that can come out
of such a situation. Sometimes you just have to loose it all just to find out
the things that really matter.
"Wolf" - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
Katerina Chadoulou: I just wish , not only for Greeks, but for all the world to realize that a deep
change(inside us, outside us and all around us is needed).Change in every
level and in every possible way.
BPP: If you
had the chance to be a child again, will you choose to do the same life you do?
Katerina Chadoulou: I
wouldn’t change a thing, not even my worst mistakes.
BPP: Which
exactly was the moment you understood what did you want to do in your life? How
did you feel at his very moment?
Katerina Chadoulou: Sometimes
it is really funny the way things work,
especially if your life philosophy is based on
the scenario of Woody Allen’s “Match point”(no fate, no justice, just
pure luck….).Still, as I said before, sometimes, life works in really funny ways: there are
moments you know exactly what you are supposed to do as if it was written somewhere.
When
I was 7, my mother bought me a monography of Vincent van Gogh. And that was the
moment I knew what I wanted to do.
'The Ice Queen - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
Katerina Chadoulou: When
I was 17, as an ordinary teenager, I was quite lost and undeciced. Then i
bought a book about graffiti and street art and
remembered what I wanted to do.
Self portrait - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
Katerina Chadoulou: Finally,
when I was 27, just after I had graduated from the Athens School of Fine Art I came across a French, children’s book called “Cyrano”,
illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer. And for once more i just knew that this was what I had to do.
It
has always been a book that inspired me and showed the way, so, as you can
imagine i feel lucky to be surrounded by
them as an illustrator.
"Psalidokefalos - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
BPP: Something yours: Do you want to tell us something we didn't ask you until now?
Katerina Chadoulou: you pretty much covered me :)
Katerina Chadoulou's drawing for BPProject - Image courtesy: Katerina Chadoulou
If you want to learn more about Katerina Chadoulou, visit:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001560280849
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001560280849
The exhibition " a Collector & the Artists" at Frissiras Museum, Athens, where you can see the work of
Katerina Chadoulou from 7/3 - 30/9/12
great work katerina, enjoied reading this.
ReplyDeletemakrand
so proud for you ! :P
ReplyDelete