Greek artist Xifara Ioanna, known through JoannesWorldArt, has built her artistic journey through persistence, personal loss, and a deep connection to nature.
Ioanna showed an early interest in drawing, beginning at a very young age. However, circumstances did not allow her to fully develop her talent. Alongside her school responsibilities, she and her sisters worked, leaving little time for creative pursuits. Despite these limitations, she continued to return to art whenever possible, most often creating religious icons that she offered as gifts to family and friends.
Colored pencils were her preferred medium during her early years. Even today, she vividly remembers opening her pencil case and breathing in their scent. She would close her eyes and linger in that moment, as if standing in an endless meadow filled with flowers and fragrances. That was where she found peace. And from that peace, she began to draw.
There were moments of doubt and failure, but she never gave up. Deep inside, she was certain she would succeed.
As she grew older, however, art slowly faded from her life. A long period followed in which she stopped drawing altogether. Two deeply painful events left a heavy mark on her soul. Her heart was broken into pieces, and the colors within her dimmed. She could no longer pick up her pencils or brushes. It felt as though doing so would mean losing herself entirely.
Eight years ago, everything changed.
She met the man who would later become her husband. From the very beginning, she knew he would become the colors of her life. The colors she needed. The colors she longed to be. When she looked at him, she felt life returning. Her heart and soul didn’t just regain color; they found a new melody, strange, beautiful, and full of hope.
She was alive again.
Slowly, she picked up her pencils and brushes, returning to art from the place where she had left off as a child. Day by day, she worked to become better, allowing herself to grow without fear.
Today, Ioanna continues to build her presence as an artist, and looking ahead, her goal is to place her artworks in hotels located within natural environments, where they can contribute to an atmosphere of calm and serenity.
For Ioanna, art is not only a personal form of expression but also a way to create spaces that invite reflection and emotional connection.
