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Amaris Mykonian Art Stories

Meet Marie Gyparaki and her uniquely colourful scarves and pashminas, which are bound to lift your mood.

Discovery

My first encounter with Greek conceptual artist and print designer Marie Gyparakis, was in her mountain top house above the Kanalia region of Mykonos. Her two pretty daughters were school friends of my children and this was the first of many happy playdates.

Her designs certainly do reflect that sunblessed, wind buffeted, carefree vibe which makes Mykonos so distinctive. The joyful kaleidoscope of her colour spectrum can transfer any mundane grey work day into a long and joyous day at the beach.

Amaris Mykonian Art Stories began its life in May 2017 as a way for artist Marie Gyparaki to express her need for inspiring positivity in other women.

Marie chose the name Amaris, which means promised by God in Hebrew. It serves as a link between her brand and her name and to the Italian word mare (sea), which she loves so much.

All her creations – pashminas, dresses, tops and jumpsuits – stand out because of the bright colour combinations and abstract designs, as well as their accentuation of femininity.

All her creations – pashminas, dresses, tops and jumpsuits – stand out because of the bright colour combinations and abstract designs, as well as their accentuation of femininity.

For the A Magic Cabinet, we have chosen the multicoloured pashminas. They are perfect for any time of year. In the winter they can be worn over a coat, in the spring as a shawl, and even as a dress in the summer.

Marie paints in bright colours and then scans her work in order to transfer it onto the fabric of her choice. She produces true works of art that every woman can wear.

She works alongside seasoned fashion designers who create the sewing patterns, while she chooses the fabrics on which her paintings will be printed in workshops in Greece and Italy.

Marie so far exports to Italy, Spain and Kuwait but plans to expand further afield.

Memory

Marie worked in advertising but found her true calling in painting. She has always drawn, inspired by both her mother and aunt, who also loved to paint.

When friends encouraged her to have her own art exhibition, she always refused, as she didn’t consider herself a real painter.

She initially experimented with scarves, ribbon and plexiglass, while she researched the fabric market.

She was very anxious while working on her first collection but the final result was more than she could have hoped for.

Her first creations were printed on polyester but she slowly moved on to better quality materials like linen, cotton and silk.

Narration

Amaris Mykonian Art Stories is based in Neo Heraklio and has seven members of staff.

Marie likes to work from home and she is eternally inspired by the sea, sun and nature in all its forms.

Mykonos, which she has visited every year since 1976, is her main source of inspiration, her breath as she calls it.

Mykonos, which she has visited every year since 1976, is her main source of inspiration, her breath as she calls it.

She starts off without having a particular design in mind and lets her instinct and mood guide her. Sometimes she changes the colour schemes to suit current fashion trends.

Every painting depicts a moment in the life of the artist and every time Marie picks up her paint brush, she exorcises all the negative energy that might be around her replacing with a positive force.

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