Marina Marinopoulos

Nature as inspiration

Nature is so complex and endlessly varied, that even its most humble manifestations can inspire. This summer as I walked along I observed the weeds growing by the side of the road. Even in the dry weather of Greece, where they’ve had no water at all for weeks, they still manage to put forth little flowers, bursts of lilac or yellow amid the dry stalks. One has to admire their tenacity. 

I love to work in layers, and that leads, inevitably, to some form of collage. This, combined with my fascination with plant matter, has led me to make my own eco-prints, using leaves and flowers I gather around the house. The results are always a little unpredictable, and I end up with a lot of material to use in collages. If I want more transparency, I use rice paper.  If you observe my paintings, you will notice it makes for interesting textured effects. 

I am not a botanical painter, or a hyper-realist. I like to express the spirit of things, rather than the exact details. And sometimes I like to be a little whimsical, like in my painting ‘Pond Life’, which started as a plein air study, but went into imaginary realms as it progressed