It seems to me that many artists, young and old, are prisoners of their emotions. Not Triantos; I can imagine this brilliant painter scaling a 12 foot barbed wire fence just to face his emotions, and welcoming the chance to share them with joy and love. In fact, when I asked him how he faces a blank canvas, he responds: “My energy transfers onto the canvas. It’s the energy, passion, vibrance, speed, stuff like that, immediate thinking. I don’t ponder and fixate on things. I have zero fear and I immediately attack.”
No fear. I like that. And I can see it in his work. He has a certain je ne sais quoi. So, of course, I had to dig deeper into who this incredibly popular artist, Peter Triantos, really is.
Triantos was born in Romiri, a small, tranquil village in the mountains of Greece, where the olive trees grow in abundance. He immigrated with his family to Canada at the age of 5. He recalls the trans-atlantic voyage with great enthusiasm, arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1966. What an adventure for a young boy! Even at that tender age he could see the magical dreamland in art.
Little did he know that his journey would take him to be one of the most highly respected and admired Canadian artists of our time.
In middle school, playing with paint and colour in art class, he knew that he was destined to be an artist. While most of us were simply playing with crayons (I was not half-bad with finger painting!), Peter was planning his future. From the very first moment that he touched paint, it brought him tremendous joy. And he already had a grasp on the power and influence that continues to define his life: ART.
However, like the Beatles song of 1970, it was a ‘Long and Winding Road’ for Peter. There were challenges. I’m reminded of a powerful quote by Maya Angelou:
“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”
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