BEYOND THE CANVAS

On first glance, the story of artist Theodora Pavlou plays out as beautifully as the colors the artist paints on her canvas.

“I was born in Athens, Greece, and I came to the States when I was 4,” the Kildeer-based visionary shares. “I actually took classes at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich when I was a teen, and my art teacher there recommended that I pursue art.”

And so, she did.

But the path to where Pavlou stands today has been a long and winding one—one that has taken her from the Art Institute of Chicago, to teaching elementary school art classes in Crystal Lake, to traveling this past summer to her homeland as the featured artist in three ultra-successful art shows.

And this summer, Pavlou will make a return visit to southeastern Europe known best for its rich history, luscious landscapes, and thriving art scene.

“I’m planning on doing not as many shows as last year, but rather more plein air painting,” says Pavlou, who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Arts Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently works part-time at Guardian Angel Orthodox Day School in Des Plaines. “I work from observing life. Outside, I paint landscapes or still life. And if I want to get more of a concept, I usually sketch, and it becomes a little bit more surreal.”

Indeed, Pavlou’s journey with art has gone from painting for fun in the basement of her childhood home with her three older siblings to leaning on it for the betterment of her mental health.

“I wasn’t the best student because I had learning disabilities growing up,” she recalls. “In fifth grade, I had a reading level of a second grader. So, I had a tutor growing up and to help me understand more, she would read a story, I would color, and then we would switch. In high school, art for me was more for escapism. If I was grounded, I would just draw all my frustrations out on paper.”

Leaning on what art provides her, and what it has provided to countless artists before her, has certainly helped Pavlou keep life’s challenges in perspective.

“My great uncle, who passed away last year, was a painter,” she remembers. “He has a house in southern Greece, and I remember when I visited his house there, I went into his studio, and I got emotional. He had this really nice view of the village, and he would paint on his balcony and I thought, ‘I want a space like this.’”

One of his paintings now hangs in Pavlou’s studio.

“My dad’s side is gifted artistically,” Pavlou continues. “My dad’s sister has nine kids, and they all live in Greece and all of them are musical. They play instruments or they sing, or they’re music teachers. My sister also did a lot of ceramic work and sculptures. I was always more into drawing and painting, and my brother did some drawings.”

And while Pavlou says she knows that her inner desire to create art will continue to fuel the days ahead of her, she is much like every other creative person in this high-tech world, just trying to find their worthy place.

But her dreams are many.

“My dream is to have a gallery where I can just show my work and show other artists’ work,” Pavlou explains. “What’s nice about teaching is we do get our summers off, so I’m always free to go to Greece, see my family, swim in the salt water, and soak in the sun.”

Her experiences fuel creations that become treasures to others. “I have clients I’ve met through the gym or just through word of mouth,” Pavlou says. “The latest commission I did was for a neighbor who wanted a painting for her house. I also have a client who comes over and just picks what she likes. I always like to see what other people love.”

For more information or to commission your own art, contact Theodora Pavlou at [email protected].