From Greek Paintings to Irish Jigs with artist/musician Manolia Kokoloyianni

Today we’re in Greece, on the island of Crete, heading into Heraklion to meet up at the Miniatoura Café with artist and musician Manolia Kokoloyianni.  She grew up in both Crete and Athens, paints beautiful introspective canvases in the intense and subdued palette of this island home, and yet it’s jigs and reels she performs on her classical greek lyra with her Irish partner musician Paul Goodman. Its these awesome contradictions that keep life interesting, isn’t it? Our Guest Artist: Manolia Kokoloyianni Our Host Artist: Carol McQuaid www.carolmcquaidart.com Our Bar: Miniatoura Cafe, Heraklion, Crete Now follow me to the Miniatoura Café on the island of Crete and listen in as Manolia and I talk about the dance between music and painting, the satisfaction of having good students, and how to not mess with the gods of art. Cheers  In this episode you’ll hear about: The artist’s life on Crete Choosing Crete as a base after the Economic Crisis, and how her thoughts on that may be changing Attending art school in Thessaloniki, Greece A career based on painting, teaching and playing music Playing the classic Greek instrument, the lyra Playing and touring with the Paul Goodman Trio How jigs and reels mix with traditional Greek music painting the light in the Greek Isles Window paintings and self-reflection The role of emotion in art Being influenced by Henri Matisse and Richard Diebenkorn The role of size when it comes to selling art (hint: it matters) Painting scenery and doing wardrobe for theatre as a side hustle The realities of earning a living from painting vs music Her upcoming shows and adventures Follow Manolia on facebook @manolia.kokoloyianni Follow our Podcast on  instagram, twitter and facebook @2artistspodcast Follow our Host on  instagram, twitter and facebook @carolmcquaidart Explore these Resources In this episode, we mentioned the following resources: Paul Goodman Trio and a few songs from their first album entitled “Strangely Familiar”: Little Green Puddle Pondering Girift Manolia’s artwork on the Etsy shop she shares with some fellow artists at BSMEDERStuio here  Henri Matisse Richard Diebenkorn   Join the Conversation! One of my favorite parts of recording a podcast each week is participating in the great conversations they spark.  Share your feedback and favourite moments on social media, and in the comments section of each episode page. And remember, if you love the episode, head to the webpage where you can bit.ly/buyusaround Join us at The Bar Are you enjoying Two Artists Walk into a Bar?  Sign up for monthly updates and special features on our newsletter at