“When I was a child everything that happened in the village was centered around the church. It was the place where people would meet for baptisms and weddings, a creative centre where there were plays, painting and music. This shaped my personality. It showed me that life had roots in past centuries”.
Dimitris Kolioussis was born in northern Greece but came to Santorini in the mid-1970s, and stayed.
Dimitris started painting at early age, learning from friends and artists around him. He learned how to mix pigments, and how to prepare materials and surfaces.
When he first saw Byzantine art it spoke not only of aesthetics but of spirituality. This was art that was not limited to what the eye could see: it was about faith and the heart. Dimitris began to study original works of Byzantine art, visiting churches and searching out books.
He has pursued this passion ever since. He continues to experiment with new styles and techniques, and his work is now known in Greece and beyond.