Welcome to My Blog!

My name is Eleni Demetriadou and I am currently studying Art and Design at De Montfort University International College. The route that I want to follow is product design as it is a field that combines art, business and engineering. My passion for product design started 5 years ago, when I was doing a design and technology project, and I was assigned to create an innovative design to fit a specific target market. The research behind aesthetic, specific needs to satisfy the target market and the business side of it made me really interested in this specific course.

I dedicate most of my free time to body painting as it is a new hobby of mine for the past three years. Playing guitar and boxing also consist of things that I love and do during my free time.

This blog is created and will be dedicated to my work throughout this course. I will use it to document my process, as well as try and improve my work and look back and reflect on everything that has been done.

One of my greatest inspirations is a painting that was created by one of my favourite artists, Johannes Vermeer, ‘girl with the pearl earring’. It was the first painting that inspired me to start drawing, therefore it holds a special place in my heart.

Johannes Vermeer, 'Girl with a pearl earring', 1665

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The painting mesmerised me in ways I can’t explain, and still does. The intimate way that Vermeer portrayed the girl, and the striking colours he chose for her to wear makes the painting extremely unique. Vermeer portrays a young woman in a dark space, with the primary focus being the girl and her captivating expression. The way he painted her luminous skin and the way her eyes pierce through your soul are part of the reason why this makes up an unforgettable painting. Her facial expression makes you question what she’s feeling as you can’t really tell if she’s happy or not, which makes this painting open to interpretation; that way anyone can create a story behind this. We barely know anything about who this woman is, which makes the painting even more mysterious and intriguing and this keeps us coming back to it again and again looking for answers.

‘Experts say the mystery is part of its allure. "Sometimes the questions are more intriguing because they can't be answered," Melissa Buron, assistant curator of the exhibition at the de Young museum told The Wall Street Journal. "Who was she? What was she thinking? What was her relationship with Vermeer? The mystery is part of its popularity."

This painting inspired me so much that I decided to paint the ‘girl with the pearl earring’ and add a background made by Angelos Panagiotou, a Greek painter. The background I added was of the moon to still represent the darkness and make sure that I keep the same theme.