Theodora M Stougiannou

Artist Bio

Theodora M Stougiannos (alternatively Stougiannou), is a Greek - Canadian artist, currently based in Greece; she works with watercolours, inks and acrylics on both canvas and paper, though she has also worked with other mediums, such as charcoal and oil paint. She has been trained in both contemporary and byzantine iconography art techniques from a young age. Main themes across her paintings are predominantly drawn from mythology, fantasy and nature; though initially more landscape-oriented in her work, nowadays, she often makes use of intricate line work, abstract depictions and vivid colours to show flow and movement. Fantasy elements are a common occurrence in her paintings, which she likes to use as a vehicle for storytelling or to depict a metaphor. She has, and continues to exhibit in both physical and virtual art spaces, in galleries based in Greece as well as galleries abroad.

Artwork 1 “The Dragon in the Mermaid”

Artwork Details

An abstract depiction of a mermaid, as seen from above, following the flow. The waves and water currents almost merge with her tail, as if she is not just following the way. She, herself, is the way. Dragon scales adorn her back and tail, a reminder of the distant past, now shrouded in myth and legend.

About the artworks below (numbered 2-5)

Artwork Details

I have used 3 depictions, one of which is a combination of ink/ watercolour and acrylic material. My most commonly used theme is that of the betta fish, a form naturally found in the physical world; the flowing lines characterizing its fins have been my biggest source of inspiration throughout my paintings. I also tend to portray both feathers, wings and fins in the same way, since they all represent the same ideal of freedom for me. Dreamscapes are often something I love to portray, combined with abstract flowing forms resembling animals; the abstract dreamlike form breaching into a more realistic depiction of a landscape- a desert, at night, under the stars. Half of my work consists of more abstract, dreamlike forms, and half of it is a combination of dreamlike forms and fantasy beings existing in realistic landscapes; a vision of a dream pouring into reality - a message that magic can be found everywhere when seen through eyes of wonderment.

About the artworks below (numbered 6-9)

Artwork Details

“Colours, lines and abstract flows — what compels us in a story most, if not the vividness of the pictures it is trying to convey. That we might find ourselves within a dream, sometimes our own, sometimes someone else’s. Who can say what is real and what is not — nobody, but the dreamer themselves”.

My paintings are stories; stories of ancient times long gone, of fantasy, of mythology. I use linework, abstract forms inspired by natural or mythical creatures, and vivid colours. My work often seems like depiction of a dream, and in this dream, any oddity or strangeness needs no further explanation.
“It is the flow that unifies all my paintings — the flow of the lines, the flow of time, the flow of reality and chaos. Always eternally flowing, with neither an end, nor a beginning"