About Me
The Artist
I am Maria Selkou and I was born in Athens, Greece. The strongest memories in my mind have the intense blue tones of the summer holidays next to the sea. When I moved to the Netherlands in 2010, different blue tones enhanced my palette; dramatic skies and Delft blue ceramics made the connection between these two seemingly different cultures through that colour: cyan.
My studies of Architecture in Greece and the Netherlands have made me overly sensitive to the urban environment, architectural elements, buildings and their relationship with the surroundings and the play between light and shadow are always fascinating subjects that I try to capture. I currently live and work in the Netherlands as an architect.
My fascination for the fields of photography and art has found an intersection through cyanotype. I create cyanotypes on paper and textile, that tell a story of the places I have visited or lived in. Each cyanotype is a unique, handmade artwork that combines the analogue cyanotype technique with digital photography. With my artworks, I aim to experiment with the dynamic relationship between artistic and realistic photographic representation
The Studio
I founded the studio in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Studio Art of the Blue is dedicated to bringing back the craft in photography with the purpose of creating tangible memories, printed in blue.
The studio evolved from the need to take a fresh look at the photographic process and reassess the way we look at our surroundings. Using the energy of the sun and drawing inspiration from the architectural environment, the studio creates handmade artworks that are unique and capture the eye. At the same time, studio Art of the blue aims to prove that inspiration can be found in the most mundane places, even by looking outside our rear window.
Digital photography blends with the analogue cyanotype process. The unpredictable character of the cyanotype process results in unique, handmade prints. The interaction of the sunlight during the developing process and the freedom with which the chemicals can be applied as watercolour paint can be described as sun-painting.
