Ronis Varlaam

Can you introduce yourself and tell us how your artistic journey began?

My name is Ronis Varlaam. I am a Greek/Cypriot but I have lived in the United Kingdom since 1963, My artistic journey was a bit of an accident.
When at school I was not interested in art. What I was interested in was film. So I studied at the London Film School. At the time I finished the M.A. course in 1969 it was very difficult to start in the film industry. You had to be a member of the union and you could not be a member unless you worked in film! So, I decided to take an evening Stage Management course at the Mountview Academy. The teacher eventually asked us to buy a set of paints to paint the theatre maquettes we were going to construct. Knowing little about paints I bought a set of oil paints. The teacher said that they were not right because they take a lot of time to dry. They had to be either acrylic or watercolours. So I had a set of paints that seemed to be of no use. But one Saturday when I had nothing to do I started experimenting with them.
What ideas, experiences or emotions inspire your artwork.
Eventually I did work in the film industry Producing and Directing documentaries for Television. Because of my involvement with film I am very influenced by photography and a lot of my paintings start with photographs I have taken. But I have began to question to what extent photography and what we see is real.

How would you describe your creative process and the materials you use?

I like to experiment. I have found a new way of applying paint to figurative paintings. I use oil, acrylic, pouring, ink, oil sticks and even mirror stickers.
Sometimes I do not know in advance how to finish a painting but one thing  leads to another.

Is there one artwork that is especially meaningful to you and what is the story behind it?
THE NATURE OF THINGS 21 is important to me because I realised the possibility of new ways of applying paint to figurative paintings.

What are you currently working on and what do you hope to explore in the future?
I want to carry on experimenting. I know one is supposed to stick to one style but I get bored easily. If there is something you are not supposed to do, do it