VIEW FROM THE TOP by artist Athanasia Nancy Koutsouflakis

Oil paint on wood, 4.5” x 4.5”

Message for his postcard:

Dear Elizabeth,
I think that I’m a morning person, especially when I stay up all night and watch the sunrise. So far, this summer, I have been to six panigiria (all-night festivals for saints).

This was the first year I drove a car throughout Ikaria. At first it was scary driving in the middle of the night, up high in the mountains, with narrow, wild, windy, ascending/descending roads, no lights, and edges with sudden cliff drops. Luckily, it didn’t take long for me to find comfort in driving there. I soon could take in the magic of seeing all its natural beauty, and looking down below at the lit up Aegean Sea. The drives would be anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes each way. Miraculously, each morning that I drove back from the panigiria, I was wide awake. The morning return was full of bright colors, herbs, and wild goats, as opposed to the greys & blues of the mystical nights.