Size: 100 x 100 cm (39.4" x 39.4")
 
Acrylic and brass golden leaves on stretched canvas.
 
"Messinian Spa Conditioner - For All Hair Types" is inspired by an experience the artist had while swimming in the sea next to a small Greek stone village in the Peloponnese. The sun was setting behind the mountain, so she quickly grabbed her goggles and went snorkelling.
 
"I'm not much of a swimmer, and I can't hold my breath for too long, but I went underwater. I witnessed a scene I will never forget as it imprinted itself on my subconscious.
 
The rays of the setting sun were igniting the water in beautiful calm beams, and the fish... oh, the fish. They were half-asleep, as it was precisely that time of day. There they were, all swimming, but differently. More floating than swimming. They were all tilted a bit, with their heads pointing downward, as if engaged in some sort of ritual. It was magical, and this moment with the perfect lighting lasted for about a couple of minutes and then it was gone. I never saw that again, and I also never saw the tilted fish ever again.
 
But then something else happened. After leaving the water, I washed my hair and applied some lotion I bought locally. The scent of the lotion fused with this memory. I brought that bottle home and placed it in my treasure chest. Thanks to the Proustian magic, I can recall the feeling every time I open the bottle and smell it. And this is how this painting was created—with my eyes closed and the bottle of Messinian Spa Conditioner under my nose."