Art With Natural Materials

"Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, as well as raw materials, and because we don't throw things out, we can make them into art," says nature and antiquities lover Mrs. Keti Rokana-Kokkinou who lives in Anopolis.

Her first individual exhibit entitled "Natural and Man-made Works of Art" was well received recently at the Aghios Georgios Gate in Iraklion, with many visitors marveling at the abundance of materials that coexist harmoniously in her art.

The exhibition included stones naturally sculpted by nature which the artist has mounted on marble and olive wood; painted stones; ceramics; pictures from murals in monasteries; fayum portraits; photographs of sunrises as she admires them from Anopolis; mirrors in wood and cloth and other creative works made from artistically recycled materials.

It also included a composite with roughly 70 photographs of "shallow sea beds" with a centre bursting with magnificent colours, which was a two-year project for the artist. 

"I want to pass on my love for nature and, by extension, protection of the environment," Mrs. Kokkinou said. "Water, flowers, a tree, a cloud formation; don't just pass them by…take a few moments and admire them."