I was born in Rethymno, Crete and finished my secondary school education in Athens, where I took art lessons from the artist Bogiatsis.
Later in my life, it happened to be in London, I decided to study art. I went to Harringay College for a College Diploma in Art and Design in 1988\89, followed by a Foundation Course in Art and Design in 1989\90 at College of North East London, with art teacher Vanda Nottingham. A year later I was accepted at Middlesex University where I studied for a B.A. Degree in Art and Art History with a grand from Haringay Council.
I was awarded my degree in 1995 and since then I have lived and worked in Crete.

EXHIBITIONS:

Personal:
2008 Artion Gallery
2012 JK Art Bar Restaurant Κolonaki, ART WAY
2012 The House of Culture, Rethymno

Group:
2008 Greek Exhibition Centre
2010 ΤΕΙ Heraklion - Crete
2010 International Exhibition Center of Crete

The absolute technique in MariaBrilaki’s paintings

Maria Brilaki’s paintings can be described as timeless and notable compositions. Her art is full of different expressions. She uses lines and figures to show her love of nature, far from her realistic influences. Her art changes greatly with the use of colour and is ready to attract every viewer’s attention.

The artist believes that the most important thing is to combine harmony and continuation in her paintings. She looks for ways to symbolize thought and action . She uses her knowledge and experience to understand man’s loneliness and finally represents it in her pieces of art, through shapes and colours.

In these successful compositions of lines and geometrical shapes , the viewer can broaden his point of view.
Apart from the tendencies and trends in painting, her technique can be considered as a recent art show.

Shapes and figures come from the artist’s secret and dark soul and are expressed as real in her paintings. Those figures are represented in her art with intense feelings and are enlightened with colours and lines to become real, vivid paintings. Geometry and architecture together with the strength of colours and lines create pictures that attract our attention. Her unique way of painting with her personal collection of colours makes her artwork very interesting. Every viewer who wants to understand her work will possibly find her intricate character hidden in it. None of her paintings can leave the viewer indifferent or not emotionally affected. The way that she represents the subject in her paintings can be easily perceived by people who don’t know much about art, because she gives them real, ordinary things to deal with , to approach and eventually to admire. Her art is full of shapes through which she tries to analyse her existential considerations, in paintings full of colour and light.

We may see a different aspect of life in each of her paintings as every one of them is different and special. We may also understand that there is harmony and continuation in her work as all of her paintings together compose a puzzle which expresses her ideas, her sensitivity and herself as a sophisticated artist.

"Maria Brilaki": A few words about my paintings

It’s difficult for an artist to talk about his artwork as many of the elements used are subconscious. Questions like : Why did you put this line here? or Why did you use this colour? cannot always be answered. Picasso was once asked why he had chosen red colour and he answered ‘ because I ran out of green.’ However I have to write something so I will try. I have experimented with many different ways of expressing myself during college until I found a satisfying way to express. Colour is the first major role. Smart colours and lines are successfully coordinated to achieve different effects on the surface of the painting. My intention is to present a world of fantasy which is full of ordinary things such as a ladder, a door , the sun and among them a figure. Even in the window – frame the colour comes to warm the scenery. In my recent paintings I’ve used birds, many birds in a blue sky. I want to believe that there is hope . I believe in a better tomorrow. The birds that I used are black. The colour that one can find in almost all my paintings is blue and light blue. Either to represent the sea or the sky but also to introduce the earth, in any way it gives a tone of coolness and with the birds , tranquillity comes to make us relax. Everything will get on well in the end . I like clear geometrical shapes and bold, strict lines that define colours. Straight lines or rectangular shapes are put together in a try to diminish contrast. I don’t know if I made a good introduction of my work but I surely don’t stop thinking of new ways to describe what I see.