A minute with: Leda Theo Professional artist ‘striving to create emotional intimacy through light and colour!’

Where do you live?
For the past few years I live and paint in Nicosia Cyprus where my art studio is, with my dog.
I’ve been traveling for almost a decade, living in different countries, and experiencing life in the Greek islands. My last adventure, I was living and working in Mykonos for two years. After that, I became homesick and decided to return home and turn my passion for painting into my profession!

What did you have for breakfast?
I must admit I’m not a morning person and need coffee to survive. I’m most creative in the quiet and mystery of the night. That’s when I create the most expressive paintings.

Describe your perfect day
As an artist, peace of mind and isolation is very important to me. Being in the studio for hours on end, and creating all day is fulfilling and draining at the same time.
Other days it’s necessary to recharge, go out, travel, be with loved ones, have new experiences and emotions so I can create again.

Best book ever read?
The Brothers Karamazov By Fyodor Dostoevsky. It’s a deeply psychological and moral novel filled with contradictions.

Best childhood memory?
My first ‘Art Exhibition’ when l was four years old. I would always paint, ever since I was little. So one day, my mother taped all of my paintings on the wall and took a photo of me standing in front of them. I still have that photo.

What is always in your fridge?
I always have bread. Different kinds. I love making sandwiches!

What music are you listening to in the car?
Alternative psychedelic hip-hop.

What’s your spirit animal?
My spirit animal is a unicorn. As an artist, the unicorn represents the untamed beauty and grace that I strive to capture in my paintings, creating pieces that transport viewers to a world of fantasy and enchantment. Just like the mythical creature, I approach my art with a sense of magic and wonder.

What are you most proud of?
Being unapologetically myself no matter the cost.

What movie scene has really stayed with you?
My favourite movie this year was Anatomy Of a Fall. The last scene was very significant for me. It gives you perspective for what actually matters when you are left alone.

If you could pick anyone at all (alive or dead) to go out for the evening with, who would it be?
It would definitely be Frida Kahlo because of her unique personality and her multifaceted life. She was a symbol of women’s inner strength and was true to her convictions.

If you could time travel when/where would you go?
I’m very curious to see how humanity will evolve in 100 years from now! How technology will change our perspectives and how the arts will adapt! That way I can find meaning in my creative process in the present.

What is your greatest fear?
Losing my curiosity.

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?
We only live once.

If the world is ending in 24 hours what would you do?
I would spend my final hours creating art that reflects the beauty and complexity of the world around me. Pouring my emotions and thoughts onto the canvas.