I am thrilled to present and announce more official information about Silent Narratives, my upcoming exhibition at Queenscliff Gallery (QG). And I’ve got a special invitation for you, so read on! As the director of QG, my main task is to curate exhibitions and manage social media. I’m in awe of the artists Theo and I are so fortunate to work with, and [...]
I'm settling into the routine now: walk, draw, eat, drink, rest, and start again. This is what I like to call work/life balance. As I mentioned in Phase One Italy: Nurture, an artist never stops working, but it's a joy in this environment, especially if/when the work created sells. Some added bliss to this trip is that I can enjoy short journeys, whether by car or Italy's fabulous rail system. For example, Montepulciano is a 40-minute drive from Cortona, where Theo and I are based. I can't get to Melbourne from Queenscliff in that time, and the road is nowhere near as picturesque or stimulating.
Artists need to be resourceful if they’re going to support themselves and satisfy a patron’s dream of owning one of their works. I often find myself gazing at some of my works and feeling sad at the thought of their destiny being ‘forever in the studio’. So, I am taking action and refusing to let that be their fate. Armed with my design [...]
I really like intimate exhibition spaces! Small spaces attract much attention, especially if they are great (if I may say so) and at the gallery entry and exit point like the Vestibule at Queenscliff Gallery (QG). I finally decided it was time to send Endurance out into the world. I'm working on a new body of work and feel a few of my self-portraits can finally face the world. After a few touch-ups, I also re-introduced Hare's Secret Keys. Both works incorporate the Fornasetti wallpaper that I live with and love and my two marionettes.
In 2013, when I began making progress with pain management, I had the idea to make a marionette of myself. Theo and I had just travelled to Italy (masks and Pinocchios everywhere!), and returning on the plane I watched the film, Marilyn. It dawned on me how seriously invisible many illnesses are. As much as I would have loved to make the [...]
I always hold my breath when the media comes knocking on the door. It’s just ‘norm’ that personal information always gets distorted and somehow feels like your information is suddenly owned by the writer with all rights to embellish and adjust. Whether intentional or not, I usually regret telling my story. But this time, it went well! The fabulous Cam Ward got the [...]
I am a very fortunate popet when it comes to media. The Greek community have been a huge support, especially the Greek papers and the Greek Australian Cultural League. Here’s the most recently published article in The Greek Herald, published in Greek and English. And look at me as a front-page snippet – it just makes you want to turn the page, doesn’t [...]
Q: What were some of the foundation ideas for this exhibition project? A: If I had to use one word, it would be ‘place’. And the relationship with it; what it means when you’re in it, how it impacts you when you’re away from it, what resonates after you’ve visited or lived in it. Perhaps it’s also respecting a place – I absolutely love Venice. But maybe also, I’m simply doing the artist thing; travelling, documenting, and communicating because that is a beautiful thing to do.
(Written 1 year later!) I had an absolutely glorious 50th. With all the social media outlets, I neglected writing a post about my special occasion on my own website. With this freshen up of the website, it is an optimum excuse to create the post now. This event is a significant one – not just because I marked my 50 years of [...]
Artist and Queenscliff Gallery & Workshop (QG&W) director, Soula Mantalvanos opens her personal studio for the Bellarine Arts Trail 2018. Soula will open the doors to her newly established studio, welcoming conversation about her practice and works that will form part of QG&W’s summer group exhibition, Lustre. Having realised Parisian facades in oils, acrylics and etchings, but unable to return to Europe for over [...]
