Transitions
One of my childhood memories was to plant watermelon seeds in a clearing amongst the fir trees. They never grew because the conditions were not suitable. Though I do remember the longing I felt to return in the springtime waiting to encounter a huge plant bearing beautiful fruit. But the only thing that sprouted was my imagination, the desire to explore, to collect and play with my surroundings. Mountain hiking and earth cultivation fascinate, rejuvenate and offer me the visual material to combine and assemble new images. The series Transitions explores the landscapes of the mind which associate man and his psychological aspects. The individual and the collective are unified, the conscious and the unconscious become one. After all, this is what I believe in, a cosmic unity.
After many years, I am once again painting with the ancient encaustic technique on plywood using my favorite material: the alchemical beeswax. The catalyst of this technique is heat and its dynamic balance between “fire and ice”, a phenomenon which embodies contradictions such as solid vs liquid, flat vs relief, controlled vs unpredictable.
It is no coincidence that I use nature as a palette to portray nature itself as well as man and his works. I nostalgically search for connections between the past and the present. I work methodically by searching, collecting and compiling information. However I improvise when it comes to color in order to achieve lifelike impressions. The paintings suggest transformation, the ecosystem, the relationship with one’s Self and praises the woman thanks to whom the adventure of life continues.
Alexis Avlamis