VICKY PYLORIDES
I draw a lot of my inspiration from the Mediterranean. Be it food, home decorating or art, I find that (life)style so immensely attractive in all its aesthetic forms. And the sea itself, which symbolises freedom to me, are part of this inexhaustible source of inspiration.
I also love visiting cities that have something of a raw edge. Cities where the old and the new, the rich and the poor, the polished and the rough meet and/or clash. These kinds of places always make me feel so alive. I love to play with that same duality in my art work.
“I love creating with textiles because it is a very tactile way of working; the folding, sewing, dying and washing are all done by hand. I really enjoy having that direct connection to materiaIs. Even when I work with paint I like to apply it directly with my hands. But the best thing about working with fabric is definitely that extra dimension you can add to a piece through just its texture and playfulness.”
Each time my artwork comes together in pretty much the same way. It starts with an expression of a particular colour and shape that I have had in my head for a while. These usually come spontaneously and intuitively. Once I translate this idea into matter it rarely works out well and I feel disappointed. Fortunately I can easily let go of that primary idea and see the potential in what first felt like a failure and integrate it in a whole new direction. At some point I'm then convinced of that potential and can get in such a flow that it is all about playing and experimenting, and allowing mistakes and messiness.
I go through more or less this same process each time and actually wished this way of coping -the letting go of ideas that don’t work and make me feel stuck, quickly followed by finding new creative ways- would come so easily in all facets of my life.
As is often said, I see making art as an expression of the self, which is made up of so many things that are constantly interacting with each other; the ego-self, spirit or soul, personal history, memories, external inspiration, culture and emotions, to name some of the obvious ones.
I am also very inspired by artists whose art is so expressive and seems so free like Helen Frankenthaler, Roger Hilton, Francis Davison, Willem de Koning and Bram Bogart.
Vicky Polyrides is a self-taught artist. After obtaining a degree in psychology she worked for several years as a therapist and in her thirties changed career paths towards more creative pursuits.
