Stella Grammenos-Dimadis Blog

  Apocalyptic Art 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper." T.S Eliot For centuries, artists and creatives alike have depicted the Apocalypse, which is the fantastical, unimaginable end of the world and all life on it.  At some point it is going to happen, maybe about 5 million years away when the sun burns out, so perhaps it is this truth that has artists thinking of what this end may look like.  Since it will happen, down the track. Recently it has felt like humanity was in the midst of it with the advent of Covid, but also with the devastation that climate change has been and is inflicting on the land and people globally.  It is very easy to start to think of the end, grim as that may sound. When I had created yesterday's art piece, even though I wasn't happy with the art work, I was very much intrigued by the colours in the background which reminded me of an apocalyptic feel, vibe.  So today's challenge I set ...

 Nature repeats itself "It never occurs to me that (skulls) have anything to do with death. They are very lively. I have enjoyed them very much in relation to the sky." Georgia O'Keefe In the previous blog, I wrote about the the human form and the importance of it in creativity and art.  Mastering the human form will allow the creator to master other forms in nature. I have some palm trees in the back yard which have surprised me by how high they have become.  They were sold as small trees and now over power my small back area, towering over the trees in suburban Melbourne.  Despite their height, I have enjoyed the changes that they display with each season.  I don't know much about palm trees, but come autumn, they shed some of the old branches and their bark.  Mornings I will wake to find these scattered in my very small yard, did I already say I have a small yard?  You can imagine the space these take.  In any case...

  'Life Drawing' ,  Pablo Picasso had once said that "In drawing, nothing is better than the first attempt."  I am not entirely sure about that sentiment, at least not in the life drawing class that I attended this evening.  I hadn't been to life drawing class in about fifteen years and when I contemplated that thought I wondered to myself why that was so.  I had always enjoyed life drawing for it had taught me to look closely at the subject; every line, wrinkle, muscle ripple, shadow, shape of the human body and once that had been mastered I had the confidence to draw anything on the planet.  Nature repeats itself time and time again, shapes inherent in the human body will be seen elsewhere. But back to Picasso, hmm, I'm not sure that the first attempt in the life drawing class is anything to brag about.  In Life drawing classes the poses are initially for a short time, and then they get longer to allow the warm up o...

 The Daily Art Challenge I'm not even sure why I feel compelled to create a daily art challenge, and in my head it somehow feels like the right thing to do.  Will I be able to create an art work daily?  I pretty much doubt it, but today, as the sun is shining in Melbourne I am confident that I just might be able to create 365 art works.  One a day. Nope, actually, impossible to do it.  I work slower than that.  I contemplate my work and whilst I like working quickly, the output will not be extraordinary, and I'm fussy and a perfectionist. Today I explored Joy Hester, and feel somewhat inspired.  The verve of her works has made me want to focus on my art more.   I have always admired her work for the energy, power and enigma that is ever so present in every one of her strokes.  I like that the works are created impulsively and quickly which in some ways does not allow room for too much thinking, as a result Hester's works have a lightness of b...

Cruella “Cruella was in a box a long time, now Estella can be the one who makes guest appearances!” -Cruella Every so often, a film encapsulates all of the factors that make it ‘wow’, leaving the audience totally satisfied.  Cruella, directed by Craig Gillespie, starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, produced by Disney does exactly that. It was released in Australia on May the 27th, 2021, not the best year for a release due to the Pandemic and inherent lockdowns in this country, but nevertheless a real treat on any screen. The film follows Estella before she becomes Cruella De Vil; a gifted, precocious girl whose rebellious streak, fighting spirit and desire to become a fashion designer is the perfect mix for her journey through life.  She was orphaned at 12 from whom she thought was her biological mother, but of course the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and with the help of her two childhood partners, Horace and Jasper, Estella e...

  "Our creativity is what enables us to function, day to day, in a changing environment, without it we would not be a surviving species". Richard Hill ‘The Art In Healing’ explores the role that creativity and art  play in people’s lives, particularly when personal trauma occurs or when people are afflicted by natural disasters. The inspiration for the film came about by contemplating the questions; ‘Why is art such an important aspect to civilisation and our society’? and ‘Does the human brain benefit from interacting with art, and if so, how’? From these questions a number of people offered their experience and research, especially in describing brain plasticity and the ability of the brain to rewire after an artistic experience. ‘The Art In Healing’ showcases a number of professionals, ranging from art therapists Simona Weinstein and Cornelia Elbrecht, therapist Richard Hill, musicians, Merelyn and David Carter, artist, Dr Anne Riggs, street artist, Amanda Newman...