Take a stroll through Larnaca and search out the real locations of the Mediterranean doors featured in Theo's oil paintings.
The first port of call is Cyprus Blue Door featured below. Cyprus Blue Door is the entrance to the restaurant Campanario opposite Metro supermarket in Larnaca. It is a typical Cypriot villa which has been converted to a restaurant. The most attractive feature of this place is the courtyard garden area, offering a romantic al fresco dining experience.
The entrance has been repainted in different colours and you will have to look twice to spot this doorway.
Cyprus Blue Door an oil painting from 2017
Ever wondered what it takes to create an oil painting?
Watch a short video how Cyprus Blue Door came into existence.
The effect of strong summer light on a subject is a key aspect that unites all of Theo's door paintings and prompted the title Blue Door In Summer Light for the next featured door painting.
Blue Door In Summer Light a painting from 2013
In a side street right behind the Larnaca Promenade, you will find this charming setting of a blue door in dappled summer light. Well, the lighting of the setting depends of course on the time of day, and if you want to catch that play of light with its charming dappled reflections, choose a sunny early afternoon for your visit.
Coincidence or not, Blue Door In Summer Light is located right next to another restaurant, Stou Roushia, a Cypriot Taverna offering traditional Meze dishes for appetites large and small. The chair, table cloth and cutlery in the bottom left corner of the painting, add a subtle clue as to the nature of the surroundings.
It is the simplicity of the almost monochrome colour palette that is the attraction of the following painting, The White Door. It is a seemingly monochrome painting, but on closer inspection, a multitude of hues are clearly visible on the canvas, creating a harmonious and charming interpretation of this scene.
The White Door an oil painting from 2014
You may be disappointed seeing this doorway for real. The walls are cracked and the door itself is in need of repair. Oddly enough it was exactly these qualities that attracted Theo to paint this entrance a few years ago. For those who wish to retrace Theo's steps, The White Door can be found on Ayiou Lazarou Street, on the right hand side, just up the road from the church of Saint Lazarus.
The following arched doorway has featured in Theo's paintings numerous times and many will recognise it to be the entrance to the Art Cafe 1900. And yes, you've guessed it, it is yet another door leading into a restaurant.
There is a short story about a carrot cake which shaped the future of this doorway. You can read it here.
The Blue Door an oil painting from 2009
The Art Cafe is well known and appreciated by locals and returning visitors to Larnaca. It offers a traditional home cooked dining experience in a truly unique and artistic setting.
You can read more about The Art Cafe and Larnaca restaurants here.
The final stop is of a dwelling which had fallen into disrepair and has since been demolished. Again it was its dilapidated state that attracted Theo to the scene, with the challenge of bringing out the beauty and mystery of a neglected and abandoned home.
You will not be able to see this particular house anymore, but a trip around the smaller villages in the Larnaca region will offer similar views towards the mountain of Stavrovouni which gave this painting its title.
View Of Stavrovouni an oil painting from 2011
The notion that an entrance leads to a different place adds mystery and intrigue to Theo's door paintings. Whether you step into a 'restaurant' or into a new chapter of your life, the image of a door allows you to imagine and dream, and perhaps close a deserving chapter behind you.
Stay tuned for more painting inspirations featuring alternative things to do and see in Cyprus.
Too busy to trail the sites?
Visit our studio instead. You will find all the mentioned sites in one handy place adorning our studio walls. The perfect start to be inspired on your visit to Cyprus.
posted by Anja Michael 25th October 2017
