Interview with Fotini Pappa
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The artist Fotini Pappa was born in Kamarina, Prevezis.
She paints to express her feelings, the silent words of her soul that find a way out and become an image.
The award-winning series " Woman is Flower " the pencil - watercolors. is dedicated to violence against women.
Many of her works grace the covers of poetry and literary books.
She has taken part in 4 individual and 130 group exhibitions in her country and abroad.
Awards:
In 2017 for the distinctive writing of her works, in Milano
In 2018 TECHNIQUE AND AESTHETIC from Art Circle Foundation, France
In 2019 artist 2019 in ARTFAIR Mantua, Italy
In 2021 4th prize in the international competition art, Egypt
In 2021 the 3rd Prize for Neuroaesthetic Art in Biennale d'Arte Salerno, Italy
The 2023 Digital Special Recognition Artist by Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery
In 2026 Authentic creative writing, Florence Italy.
Fotini, in many of your works the female figure appears intertwined with botanical forms, as though the body and the plant world share a common visual language of growth, vulnerability, and resilience; how did the conceptual framework of your long-running series Woman is a Flower emerge, and in what ways do you see this metaphor functioning not merely as symbolism but as a structural principle that shapes the emotional and philosophical architecture of your images?
This was the goal from the beginning. The connection of human emotion with nature. Through the contrast of black and white and the symbolic color of flowers or symbolic signs, to create a visual language that will speak about my own bad experience. A woman is the flower that needs care and tenderness to bloom.
'wild roses''-series '' Woman is Flower'' ,- 56x76cm ,-pencil-watercolor -AWARD 4th prize in the international competition art, EGYPT
Your drawings often begin with the delicate authority of pencil, a medium historically associated with intimacy, immediacy, and the trace of the artist’s hand; what is it about the tactile, almost breathing quality of graphite that allows you to translate deeply personal emotional states into visual form, and how does this material sensitivity influence the final presence of the figure on the page?
I love pencil. The contrast of black and white always fascinated me. In my adolescence, all my books had pencil drawings. I was born with a calling to drawing that evolved over time and experience. At the beginning of the birth of the series, I tried to express my feelings with acrylic and tempera, but this did not satisfy me, not because they were not beautiful works, but they did not stand out, because there are many painters and better than me, someone will say, but I had to attract attention in order to convey my message: No to violence against women, "Woman is a Flower."
''I Am Sorry-series covid19''-56x76cm-pencil-watercolor-2020
You have spoken about poetry as an essential source of inspiration, suggesting that the rhythms of language and the cadence of verse often precede the formation of the image; could you elaborate on how the structure of poetry informs the compositional logic of your work, and whether you think of your paintings as visual equivalents of poetic stanzas unfolding across the surface?
Yes, this happens when the inspiration comes from a poem or a literary text. The series ''Flower the Woman'' in pencil was created when my own feelings identified with the poet's words. Thus the inspiration led to the image, the image that became a messenger of my soul so that I could share my feelings.
''red words'',- series poetry and painting -35X50cm,pencil-watercolor,.
The relationship between fragility and strength appears repeatedly in your images, particularly in the way female figures are enveloped by flowers that seem both protective and potentially overwhelming; how do you negotiate this tension between vulnerability and resilience, and what role does this duality play in your broader reflection on the lived experience of women?
I combine these two to emphasize my symbolism and convey the message. My art is not just something I paint. It is what I am, what I feel.. Femininity, motherhood, fragility, power are inseparable for me. Women can face any difficulty, continue to thrive again.
Depression led me to painting. Thus my sadness turned into something hopeful, conveying my message with the image: ΄΄Look, a Woman is a flower and you must take care of her with tenderness and love so that she blooms.΄΄
''melody of love'' -series '' Woman is Flower'' -,72x92CM-pencil-watercolor
Your series addressing violence against women transforms a deeply urgent social issue into a visual language that is lyrical rather than confrontational; how do you approach the challenge of communicating such a powerful subject through imagery that retains tenderness and poetic ambiguity rather than explicit narrative?
Because for me all women are beautiful. The behavior of their loved ones and later their partners can fill their lives with bitterness. Where there is tenderness and love, women bloom, become beautiful.
The poet Sakellaris Kampouris writes:
''......When women return to the earth, in the arms of adorned Spring, like flowers they are reborn....¨ .
Reading the poem I identified with these verses and the series ''Flower The Woman'' was created. Because when a woman is born, she is a beautiful, pure flower.
''Spring' ́ ́ -series '' Woman is Flower''..pencil-watercolor,-56x76cm-
Many of your works employ a restrained palette in which bursts of color emerge against fields of graphite or soft tonal washes; how do you conceive of color within these compositions, and do you see it functioning primarily as an emotional accent, a symbolic device, or as a means of guiding the viewer’s psychological movement through the image?
My Painting has elements of symbolism, such as the color or the flowers that surround the woman. With the symbols I try to give my message.
'Playing'' - series peace,-pencil-watercolor- 50x76cm
After a serious health crisis you returned to painting as a path of recovery and self-reconstruction, describing the process almost as a rediscovery of a lost language; how did this personal experience reshape your understanding of artistic practice, and did it alter the way you think about the relationship between art, survival, and the act of healing?
Around adolescence I realized that I was born with a beautiful gift. I always liked painting but survival led me to other paths and then came the family and so the dream was put aside. But a deep sadness led me to depression. Painting became my means of recovery.
''Leap of Life '', - series poetry and painting - 45 x56cm,pencil-watercolor
The female figures in your work often appear suspended in moments of introspection, their gestures and gazes turned inward rather than outward; how intentional is this psychological quietness, and do you see these figures as portraits of specific individuals or as archetypal presences representing broader emotional states?
I think it has to do with my own psychological state and what I want to show the audience each time. The women in my paintings can be my daughter, my granddaughters, their friends, relatives, or a woman from a photograph whose pose will help me express what I want.
When I compose an image, I first choose the woman because I want to show through her that she is a bulb that is watered, takes root and climbs, grows in harmony with the sun and after receiving love and care, she too blooms like the symbolic flowers that surround her.
''Spring will come '' ,-series poetry and painting -,45X65CM,pencil-watercolor
Given your long engagement with exhibitions across Greece and internationally, how has the reception of your work changed when it moves between different cultural contexts, particularly when viewers encounter the Woman is a Flower series and its reflection on gender, vulnerability, and dignity?
The series of the first works found a strong positive response both in Greece and abroad. I remember that the first two works were awarded 1st and 2nd prizes in international online art group competitions with thousands of entries.
Dozens of other awards followed from the subsequent works. She has also been awarded 4 times in exhibitions abroad for her authenticity, aesthetics, technique and unique writing.
' flowers of feast ''- series '' Woman is Flower''-56x76cm-pencil-watercolor -AWARD in 2017 for the distinctive writing of her works, in Milano
The botanical elements in your compositions seem carefully observed yet also subtly stylized, creating a space that oscillates between the real and the imagined; how do you approach the depiction of flowers and plants, and do they originate from direct observation, symbolic associations, or from a more intuitive visual vocabulary?
I usually choose flowers symbolically. That is, roses to express love, poppy passion, etc. When the inspiration comes from a poem, the poet may have chosen the flower in his verses.
''hopes'',..72x92cm,..pencil-watercolor.. - series poetry and painting
In several works the female body appears almost dissolved into its surrounding environment, as if the figure were becoming part of a larger organic system; could you speak about this sense of merging between body and nature, and whether it reflects a philosophical perspective on the interconnectedness of human emotion and the natural world?
This is also the goal in my painting. The body becomes part of a plant. It is the flower between the leaves. It is the interconnection of my own feelings with the natural world.
.''unexpected Love'' - series '' Woman is Flower''-pencil-watercolor-50x70cm -AWARD In 2019 artist 2019 in ARTFAIR Mantua, Italy
Your practice moves fluidly between pencil, watercolor, acrylic, and charcoal, each medium carrying its own material voice; how do you decide which medium a particular work requires, and do you feel that certain emotional registers can only be articulated through specific materials?
As I said above, at first I worked sometimes with acrylic and sometimes with tempera. But along the way I experimented and I was won over by pencil and watercolors because I created my own characteristic writing, my identity as an artist, which is very important to distinguish you among hundreds of works.
''Spring will come ; ; ; ; '' -series covid19 , - pencil,watercolor , 56x76cm
Many artists today engage with urgent social themes through direct visual activism, yet your approach seems more meditative, inviting contemplation rather than confrontation; do you see your work as a form of quiet resistance, and how do you hope viewers emotionally navigate the space between beauty and the gravity of the subject matter?
Yes, I think the character of the artist also plays a role. I have always liked calmness. I am a dynamic and calm person, simplicity characterizes me. I abhor violence in all its forms. This has influenced my painting. With simple and not difficult to understand symbols, I try to give the viewer the message.
' The Kite of Love'',-series peace - pencil-watercolor, 50x65cm
Considering that many of your images have appeared on the covers of poetry and literary books, how do you understand the relationship between visual art and literature in your career, and does the dialogue between these two disciplines shape the way you conceive the narrative potential of a single image?
The purpose of Art, as well as poetry, is to highlight the emotions that overwhelm us from the problems of society, personal relationships, experiences, etc. The word or the image become the messenger of our emotions. Pain, sadness, tenderness, love, the desire for peace, etc. will find a way to express themselves. . Simply, poetry is expressed with words and visual art with images.
''red steps...'' -series '' Woman is Flower'' -72X92CM...pencil-watercolor
When looking across your body of work, one senses a persistent search for peace, both personal and universal, expressed through images that merge emotional vulnerability with symbolic natural forms; as you continue developing this visual language, where do you imagine the Woman is a Flower series evolving in the future, and what new questions are you beginning to ask through your art?
I think that until I leave this life, the search for peace, love, freedom and the elimination of all forms of violence will be a source of inspiration in my creations. My life experiences have led me here. With calmness, sincerity and love I deposit my soul with pencil and colors. Depression did not leave me behind, painting became my recovery and led me to something hopeful. My art is my life.
Truce Messages'', - series peace -35x50cm,pencil-watercolor
