Posts Tagged ‘vasilia scouras’

Vasilia Scouras is a Charleston-area mixed-media artist, whose vibrant pieces range from drawings to paintings to vivid collages.

Early Life
Vasilia Scouras is a mixed media artist who was born in Boonton, New Jersey.   She became interested in art since she was young, stating, “My family & teachers always encouraged and nurtured my artistic interests and development from a very early age.”  She loves art because it’s relatively cheap and its also the freedom to create & admire something without being told you’re wrong.

Inspiration/Admiration
What inspires Vasilia Scouras?  She tends to be intrigued by supremely simple and mundane things in life. She is attracted to old material things; love letters, keys, vintage magazines, etc. because they have a story to tell.   Knowing who was the past owner and what their life was like sparks her interest and connects her to another time and place.  She is a very tactile person and it clearly shows up in her work.  Having been exposed to a wide variety of cultures throughout her life tends to feed her creatively more than anything.  Vasilia could sit in front of Gustav Klimt or Joan Mitchell’s paintings for hours on end.   She is also highly fascinated by Kurt Schwitters collages, relates to Andre Serain, but her favorite lately is Maria Lassnig.  Her art is influenced by the travels she has gone to and her Greek-American heritage.  She is very precise with symbolism and how one imag4e can represent a multitude of meanings.  When asked if she could go anywhere in the word, where would it be and why; she affirmed to North Africa and India.  “Simply because I haven’t been there yet.  I would like to experience the Muslim side of Africa.  India has always been an interest to me as well; I get excited when I think about all the fabrics and colors.

Current/Future Work
Vasilia Scouras gets her training at West Virginia State University as a senior.  Her current work is exhibited at local restaurants (Lola’s).  She has also participated in Buswater on the Boulevard, which is an independent local show that occurs twice a year in Charleston.  Her work has been juried in Exhibition 280 at the Huntington Museum of Art. Vasilia has just completed a commission for FestivALL Charleston.  For the past few years, she has been focusing on Adinkra symbols, but can’t seem to move past them.  Lately, she has been dealing with OWUO ATWEDEE, which translates to “The Ladder of Death.”  It is meant to be a positive reminder of our mortality and to live a good & positive life, so that your soul may find peace in the afterlife.