Page 63 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2021
P. 63

discover|local people


               OFFER A

               GIFT






               THAT LASTS

               FOREVER




 Melina Patakiouta

 THE SMELL OF EGG at her workshop
 is unmistakable. Using the traditional   w w w . t h e ar t do s e . c o m
 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   Art Curation
 way from the port to Ano Mera. It
 was heaven – our refuge”. Despite   Hotel Art Corners
 an aptitude for painting, she had not
 found her calling until a difficult period,   Event Gifts for Special Occasions
 when she “woke up and said, I want to
 paint icons. I think it was a godsend”.   Corporate and Business Gifts
 So, she studied Byzantine murals and
 icons, a life journey that culminated   Wedding Gifts and Bombonieres
 in her return to her Mykonos roots,
 eight years ago. “It feels like we have   Custom Christening Gifts
 always been here”, she says. “Locals
 have embraced my art, and I have   & more ...
 Mykonos to thank for that”. Having
 accepted Nikos Zouganelis’s proposal   Find us online or visit our store!
 to set up her workshop at Rizes
 Traditional Farmstead, she continues
 to create religious artwork and icons   Aggelou Metaxa 33, Glyfada 16674
 for churches and chapels. She speaks   Florida Mall, Ground floor
 with awe about the Monastery of   +30 210 9680505
 Panagia Tourliani, and explains that
 her work fascinates visitors regardless   info@theartdose.com
 of ethnicity or denomination. “As an   @theartdose
 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.






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