Interview with new member John Karafyllis

We welcome our newest member John Karafyllis to Inka gallery!
John is influenced by many well-known artists and works in a variety of mediums; his favourite being oils.  He is currently part of our group members' exhibition, 'Spring', so come down to the gallery to see his stunning canvas on the wall entitled 'Pure Heart'.

We hope you enjoy reading about his interesting background and looking at just a few examples of his beautiful artworks in his interview below.

What  made you choose to become a member of Inka Gallery?

My dreams here in Tasmania were to find other artists and open up a gallery and to share the rent, based on friendships and unity but most of all honesty of the heart, and when I got introduced to Inka by Ann Menezies, I thought to myself that this is a dream come true.

 What is your background and how did you get started?

From a young child, I was passionate about art and studied three years in the Academie Des Beaux Arts in the town of Saint-Gilles in Brussels.  That is where I got introduced to oils and colours.  It was a unique ambience and atmosphere of the "16th century" and it is still in my heart.

Which other artists and areas of life inspire your artwork? 

In 1981, I left Belgium and lived in Greece for four years and I was influenced by the Hellenic art and statues and absorbing as much as I could.

In 1985, I left Greece and came to Melbourne and my inspiration was Salvador Dally, especially with his strong shadows and light in his painting and also Surrealism.

What is your favourite subject matter and medium?
In 1985 I left Melbourne and came to Tasmania.

I started to look at nature in a deeper level with all my heart and allowed my heart to get understanding of the display of her beauty.

It is a melody crying out in each person's heart and if we just stop and listen, we would hear her and her substance of it is love.  I am also influenced by the Renaissance art especially 'Titan'.

I continue to explore and have my eyes and ears open to what nature has to give and there is not the end.
My favourite subject is fine art and I like floating from fine art to abstract, it is like the weather, four seasons in one day and there are no rules.
I love oils, I love the texture, the canvas and the smell of oils reminds me of Belgium.

Do you have other creative talents besides producing artworks?

I am very creative with landscaping, I like creating scenery with rock, soil, wood, plants, trees and paint, and to create an original artistic ambiance that reflect my heart, a déjà vous of myself .

 What do you hope to gain by being a part of Inka Gallery?

To expand my knowledge in the arts, to connect and build relationships with other artists and customers, to learn all the aspects of the gallery and to gain confidence with myself.

To express what my heart is saying through my paintings.



We look forward to John's first solo exhibition with Inka next year...we'll keep you posted...in the meantime, pop down to the gallery to see more of his beautiful works on display on the shelves!
We wish John a productive and happy stay with Inka!


'Spring' exhibition is currently showing until 19th September...see images of artworks in previous posts.