Art Archives - Keftiu

The Creation of Timeless Keftiu Ceramics Continues

Our excursions across Crete Island have led us to many fascinating landscapes, wonders of nature, and rare craftsmanship traditions inextricably linked to Keftiu and pre-history. On a trip to the traditional village of Margarites in Rethymno Prefecture, we connected with two exceptional ceramic artists at Keramion, a famous shop in the village center. Their story and their exquisite work using traditional pottery-making techniques is a modern-day window into what made the Keftiu unique and powerful.

When you enter Keramion, the pottery studio of Giorgis and Mariniki Dalamvelas, the brilliance of ancient Keftiu craftsmanship immediately grabs you, altering your perception and tweaking your expectations. The village, one of Crete’s most celebrated hubs of traditional pottery, is part of a community that seeks to not simply preserve rich traditions. Keramion is about expanding and creating new versions of the artifacts prized by the ancients thousands of years ago. Giorgis and Mariniki are not in the business of copying Keftiu ceramic art as much as they are into creating new versions as if the ancients had never ceased their practices.

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Keftiu Fine Art as Symbolism and a Means to an End

Art

In the first half of the second millennium B.C., the people of Crete enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. The basis of this was partly active trade with other Bronze Age civilisations. However, the core of Keftiu society was reaching for a higher state of existence and spiritual awareness. Their rich land produced a surplus of commodities like timber, olive oil, and excesses of various agricultural produce. Keftiu textiles, ceramics, jewellery, and other luxury goods were coveted across the Mediterranean basin. It’s fair to say the Keftiu excelled at everything they endeavoured to accomplish.

The Keftiu were also the great metallurgists of the age. Their exquisite filigree and granulated jewellery creations were unequalled. Carved seal stones with detailed scenes in miniature are, to this day, a mystery. How did they craft these magnificent items? What technology did the Keftiu possess, and what tools did they create to carve tiny intricacies in stone? However, their unusual attention to minute detail was not limited to stone or rare metals. The Keftiu created masterpieces in clay, ivory, painting, and even the colouring of textiles. Some experts believe the Keftiu created Tyrian Purple from crushed Murex (Muricidae) snail shells. Several sites on Crete and offshore of the main island were dye production facilities dating from the 20th–18th century B.C.

The Art of Ariane Torelli

Art

Sitting in the soft sunny glow of light at her ash wood desk, before a red jarrah framed window, Ariane Torelli stares out at the willy-wag-tails and black and red cockatoos socializing in the tall tree across the way. Her inspiration seems to come from the symbiosis of flora and fauna around her little house in Perth, Western Australia. The drawings and paintings, the animations she brings to life, shine with the light of love. Hers is a wonderfully uplifting story that reflects well a commonality of excellence many share.

A 3D visualizer by trade, Ariane is an admitted film and animation addict who wants more than anything to touch people’s lives with her art. She is one of the most expressive people I’ve met in some time. In one interview with her, she told of the deep satisfaction that drives her sweet and thoughtful creations:

“I love to create and breath life into characters, creatures, and environments that impact all the generations of people around the world.”