Page 82 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2019

discover|the mykonians

MElINA

PATAkIOUTA

Iconographer

tHe sMeLL oF egg at her workshop
is unmistakable. Using the traditional
medium of tempera, Melina gathers
eggs from the coop to mix with mineral
pigments using “her babies” – her
brushes – and paint orthodox icons.
this technique goes back millennia
and is part of what Melina Patakiouta
calls her “ritual” to start painting on
crude, heavy wood. “An icon is not
just a representation; it’s in my soul”.
Hailing from Mykonos on her mother’s
side, Melina recalls happy childhood
visits – “the smell of the land on our
way from the port to Ano Mera. it
was heaven – our refuge”. despite
an aptitude for painting, she had not
found her calling until a difficult period,
when she “woke up and said, i want to
paint icons. i think it was a godsend”.
so, she studied Byzantine murals and
icons, a life journey that culminated
in her return to her Mykonos roots,
eight years ago. “it feels like we have
always been here”, she says. “Locals
have embraced my art, and i have
Mykonos to thank for that”. Having
accepted nikos Zouganelis’s proposal
to set up her workshop at rizes
traditional Farmstead, she continues
to create religious artwork and icons
for churches and chapels. she speaks
with awe about the Monastery of
Panagia tourliani, and explains that
her work fascinates visitors regardless
of ethnicity or denomination. “As an
art, it is fascinating, especially when
you are watching someone create it” –
as you can do at her rizes workshop.

eMBraciNg TradiTioN
Melina Patakiouta beams when she speaks about her work rituals. From praying to mixing pigments
the ancient way and choosing the right canvas, iconography is her calling.

080 MYCONIAN COLLECTION