a conversation with Mariela Bilitsa in Crete….A Sip Of Ouzo?

A Well Mannered painting can never fulfill its purpose.
If it doesn't make you want to run naked on the Streets for no other reason than it being a rainy Monday, then, allow me to haughtily inform you that it has vigorously failed its purpose.

The latter luring us into dreams. Gracefully, painfully.
Luring us into complete surrender.
For what is a burst of color but the very rebellious act of defying the meek?
And looking down at those who chose the corner as their forever home.

Young Albanian artist raised in Athens, Mariela Bilitsa admits when I corner her with my questions, that her Art is "Filled with bright, vibrant colors".
Ah! There you go, young lady, forcing me with your tapestry, paintings, and Free-spirited lifestyle, to run naked on the Streets for no other reason than mere joy.

(Or perhaps I should simply visit you In Greece where you have settled for the moment, and attempt to write my life stories sitting next to you whilst you do your thing by the sea?
Why, what a delightful idea!)

Her figures, as she describes them, are, "Sometimes eccentric - and they are mostly women! there's a playful quality in the compositions that shows each personality, capturing everyday moments in a pleasant way".

Pleasant?

Did the Free - spirited young lady just use the adjective "Pleasant" to describe the works that are defying me to expose my naked vulnerability for no other reason than it being an eerily calm Friday undiluted yet by the hymns of war which we have been prisoners in Beirut for weeks on end?

From my perspective, her sketchbook is an invitation to write the first lines of a new story. Filled with Hens (!) and sparkles of the enchanting village life.

Which village might I ask, Mariela?

The Women "residing" in her paintings seem at ease with who they are. They could be naked, well - endowed. Hair frolicking in the air. Sharing a meal with one another adorned by stupendously alive colors.

The lovers who brighten her works are not afraid of love, even when she chooses to capture them in somewhat somber colors, with a hint of excruciating red whilst writing on top of their Vulnerable, devoted figures, the word:

Love!

Her rugs turn the nude women who sit comfortably and nonchalantly in a scene or another, an act of defiance.

Happy defiance?

Her "Fav" place on earth, one would guess, is her Studio.
In whichever country she might have turned her home.
For a while, at least.

Her Studio could be indoor or outdoor.

It can be facing the untamed,  untouched mountains of Crete.
Or the Patio of a typical, traditional island house.
Or inside the walls of her momentary space covered with all the art utensils that make life so bearable.
Or a terrace overlooking glimpses of the island, and a flicker or two of that savage sea which seduces us well...
To swim naked midst its treasures?

The Taverna she chooses to depict in one form or other is an invitation to dance. Have a sip of Ouzo and wait for Zorba the magnificent to walk our way and help us defeat reality.

And regarding the girl with the crate of Olives which resides with her pearl necklace in a painting. Why, she doesn't really have a describable facial expression.

But that's not a problem, is it?

As for the lush lady basking in the sun in one of her rugs, well, she wants me to have coffee in Crete, too.
And most definitely by the sea!

Sometimes she paints on a magical table with a jar of Olives and some bananas ornamenting the enchanting space.
She might use her fingers to lessen the fortitude of the ink of the pen she is using.

She uses different mediums. And perhaps that is why she is enticing me with her lifestyle, exuberant artworks, to run naked on the Streets.
Or perhaps Simply leave the war behind and go have coffee with her in Crete.

Our conversations sway back and forth through various emails.
And I believe her when she recounts how she has been passionate about creating since she was very young.

"In elementary school, I loved observing pictures from newspapers and magazines, often copying them into my sketchbook".

It was also during that time that she learned how to sew and knit "From my mother, always fascinated by making things with my hands".

(The scene where she is dampening the fortitude of the ink on her bare fingers comes back to haunt me).

"Through these creative activities, I found joy in expressing myself.
And over time I realized that the process of creation was what truly resonated with me. Whether it was sketching, experimenting with different materials, or exploring new techniques".

She graduated from the School of fine Arts in Greece in 2016, "Where I specialized in painting".
Her studies allowed her the opportunity to explore other mediums such as photography, print making, sculpture, and more.

In the beginning, her work was "pretty abstract".
After all, that was the time "when I first started finding my own style. I enjoyed playing with textures and creating images that zoomed in and out between the micro and macro worlds".

However, over time, her art became more "concrete and narrative- driven. which brings us to what I create today":

A mixture of magnanimous swindles of colors and larger than life characters (mostly women) who lure me into scandal and urge me to run naked on the Streets?

Well perhaps, not told in that brazen manner.

"I've always loved observing people and nature, especially in everyday moments, because that's when you can really see their true essence"

And that is the reason why she believes her portraits reflect exactly that point.
"They each have their own identity, showing either their personality or the emotions they're feeling at that moment".

That could be the reason why so many people can relate to her work "Because my narratives often focus on the ordinary aspects of life. some of my characters might even show my own traits".

As For the rugs, well "They came about during the first lockdown. Luckily I was on the island of Chios at the time, which allowed me to stay really creative during that period"

It started as an experimental project, and even before I finished my first series, I began Receiving orders".

Tufting, "Despite its challenges, turned out to be quite enjoyable".

As a painter, "I find tufting to be a completely different process/ It requires a lot of planning. especially for color choices which I need to make in advance. There's much less room for mistakes".

In painting, Mariela can make "spontaneous decisions as I create, while in tufting, I have to think everything through beforehand".

Tufting can be, indeed, time - consuming "But it helps calm my mind".

The young woman has been fortunate enough to have lived over the past few years, "In different parts of Greece because I also work as an art teacher in elementary schools".

Every couple of years, she switches locations "either Cities or islands, to keep teaching. I travel everywhere and as much as I can because I think traveling helps me grow and gives me new ideas for my painting".

These generous experiences "help me understand people better, and I often bring them into my art. every trip leaves its own mark on my work".

I wonder, during her travel diaries, what mark did that majestic castle she so deliberately captured in Bran Transylvania, leave on her soul?

Will make sure she answers that question, when I visit her, soon enough let's hope, In Crete.

Hopefully, with my clothes on!