Interview with Paraskevi Balafa

Interview to Sissy Sigioultzi – Rooka, Philologist, Writer, member of the Union of Journalists Periodical & Electronic Press NWE, Radio Producer at radio1d.gr and President of the”Greek Cyprus Cultural Association”

A paragraph of myself

Painting has been an integral part of me since a very young age. Growing up this love for painting and the arts in general, did not stop but flourished significantly, especially when I entered the Department of History of the Ionian University, where I came in contact, for the first time, with the history of art and studied different genres and its forms around the world and in different time periods. It was also then that I was given the opportunity, within the University, for the first “official” highlight of my work and talent, as I undertook the sketching of the front page for a catalog of the department’s library, but also the sketching of digital educational game characters. Since then I have not stopped dealing with but also experimenting with different materials. During the quarantine my involvement with painting passed on a daily basis and to this day it has not stopped. I am now dealing with a different piece of art that combines inspiration from the past and its realisation with a modern perspective. 

My Inspiration

My inspiration comes mainly from the art of the Hellenistic and Classical periods but also from Greek mythology, in combination with a modern perspective. However, my inspiration can be a book, the sea or a song.

My mediums

The materials I use on the canvas are plaster and acrylics, usually white and black.

My Technique and Style

I do not use any specific technique and style, they differ from project to project. This makes each one unique.

How do you define the end, the point of completion for each one of your artworks?

Personally, I believe that it is not possible to define the end of an art-piece. In my case I could say that the end comes with the perfection of the material I have used, something that is actually possible after a lot of work, but at that point you have already lost all the details, the small “imperfections” but also lines that give movement to the project. So I choose to stop at a point where the above is still visible on the canvas.

How important is naming your artworks? How do you choose a name?

The names of my works come associatively or from the emotion that each work evokes in me. I do not believe that the title is what characterises and describes the work. Each viewer has a different emotion or thought and he or she may have given it a different title. Nevertheless, it is the identity of the work, without forcing the viewers to provoke similar emotions.

Why did you choose art in your life?

I think it was not a pure choice since it came into my life unintentionally and day by day my cult of art grows. What can definitely be said is that I choose it every day.