My artistic name is Vicky Porfyri, and I am a self-taught abstract and conceptual painter from Greece. Currently I am living in Portugal.
Until the age of 40, I didn´t know that I could paint. Honestly, I was 100% sure that one thing I could neverdo in my life was to paint. I was very good at sports and at maths and I took my Bachelor and Msc Degree in Civil Engineering.
My transformation in life started, when I had failed in almost all its areas and in the most important. I was diagnosed with a serious health problem. You could say, I had reached bottom.
When I started reading a lot of self-improvement books, I realised that ´´ yes, I was never really loving myself first and yes, what you think you can become, but your thoughts need to be without fear. ´´ I think Paolo Coelho ´´forgot´´ to add a very important detail when he said… ´´When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it´´, only if you are not afraid of it.
I honestly realized that everything I wished for in my life and did not happen I was, for different reasons every time, afraid of it and at the same time I was having contradictory thoughts. ´´Yes, but, if I achieve this, I will have to leave… Yes, but, if this comes into my life now, I will have to…´´
When Ι took the decision to leave my country behind, my family, my friends, and a career in the airport industry for love (yes for love!), I did it with no fear at all for the first time in my life! And you know what? I managed to climb much higher than where I had fallen and life continuous giving me all that I came for and something more…
My mind-set has changed so much that literally, I woke up one day in Portugal and said to everybody that ´´Ι believe, I can even paint´´. I bought canvases, brushes, and paints, as a gift to myself for my 40th birthday. And just like that, I started painting!
Astonishingly, only 3 months later, my art got noticed and I started receiving invitations to exhibit my paintings in galleries all over the world.
I think that I will never be able to describe in words what feels being an artist. The freedom, the joy and all the emotions that you feel is something that I have never felt before professionally.
My inspiration stems from true stories and real-life events, things that have had an impact on myself or other people and are thus depicted on each of my canvases.
These stories come alive, as I create and recall them, most of the time using bright and vibrant acrylic colours, inviting the viewer to take part in these wonderful and engaging tales!
You may also notice, words or quotes written on some of them. Paintings are not just a beautiful decorative element. Have energy, just like the words and quotes do and that is the reason, I love to combine them!