Artist Odyssey

Hello World Changer!

I was in Athens trying to act normal through a long Greek lunch with Vasilis and his family.

Inside, I was a complete mess.

I had flown to Greece carrying one request in my heart. I wanted Vasilis, the lead designer behind Dimitrios Exclusive, to create jewelry from my octopus painting.

I had asked once before, more than a year ago, and he had smiled with that gracious Greek way of making you feel loved without actually answering. I didn't know if I was being too bold, or if I had imagined the possibility bigger than it was.

Still, I couldn't leave Greece without asking again.

When I finally said the words out loud, Vasilis looked at me almost casually and said, "Oh yes. I have them almost ready."

I just stared at him.

He had already designed them.

Then he pulled out a stack of working pages filled with octopus necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and sapphire stones. Every piece carried the Dimitrios beauty I have loved since I was a teenage girl wandering through jewelry shops in Thessaloniki.

Then he showed me something else.

A pendant made from one of my King paintings, with my signature on the back above the Dimitrios logo.

I don't know how to explain what it felt like to hold that in my hands. The jewelry I had collected for twenty-five years, the pieces that were stolen in Rome, the friendship that came after that loss, the collaboration I barely dared to ask for... all of it suddenly made sense in a way I could never have arranged myself.

That story is this week's Artist Odyssey.

I wrote the full story here, including the octopus painting that started it and the first pieces in the collection.

At the bottom of the blog, you can also join the notification list for the collection. When pre-orders open, I'll send you the collection and the special gift details.

I want to invite you to read the new Artist Odyssey post here.

Love,

Elli