Xenitia (ξενιτιά) is the first painting in my art collection Greek Summers

This series was created to translate into visual form a selection of my summer memories from the very first year I returned to Greece as a visitor.

Greece is, and always will be, my home—the place where I grew up, lived, laughed, cried, made mistakes, achieved, forgot, and forgave.

Each piece in this collection represents a personal memory captured through photography and later reimagined on canvas. Every painting is named after a Greek word that is either difficult or impossible to translate directly, carrying layers of meaning that exist beyond language.

Xenitia (ξενιτιά) is one of these words. It describes the experience of living as a foreigner in a distant land, accompanied by a deep sense of nostalgia and longing for one’s homeland.

Since moving to the United States, I have often found myself in this emotional state—but I’ve come to see it as something meaningful rather than painful. It is what allows me to continuously return to Greece with renewed love, gratitude, and warmth in my heart.

This painting depicts a real scene from

Seitan Limani in Crete, Greece.