ABOUT THE ARTIST

      Born about four decades ago, in a suburb of Athens, Nikos Kalamaras began 
      working with metal at the age of 10, helping his father who was an experienced
      metal craftsman. With this background, he realized that working with metal was
      inevitable, but that he would not be content in just making doors and window
      frames. A talent for drawing and painting emerged in his early teens, and he  
      began expressing his visions on anything that was handy. At first, painting was a
      hobby. He drew not only on paper, but also on wood. Then it hit him! Being a
      metal craftsman and an artist, why not combine the two. It was then that he 
      began to paint and create in iron, a difficult material to work with. But he    
      prefers to use hard metals, like iron, steel and aluminium, because the creations
      can not easily be copied.

      Nikos, who now lives and works on the Greek island of Crete, has his creations
      displayed in many major cities in Austria, Germany and Holland, as well as   
      Athens, and Iraklion and Hania on his home island.

      He believes that the success of his creations is owed to his stubbornness and
      patience, and the working environment of Crete, which allows him to avoid       
      the pressures from outside influences.