About Pepella:
When you see a monarch butterfly fluttering past you, what do you feel?
For me it stops me in my tracks. The dainty gliding, the ethereal flaps of its gorgeous wings; the butterfly has inspired awe in me since I was a little kid. And what a metaphor for life it gives! From creeping and crawling to flying among the flowers, the butterfly is the epitome of transforming the self. Just when you’re in your darkest hours, when you feel like you can’t go on…you persevere just a bit more and, suddenly, you’ve emerged from the chrysalis able to fly and more beautiful and free than ever.
Pepella means butterfly in Georgian, and I can think of no better name for the art I create, which always stems from a sense of beauty, freedom, love, and inner joy.
“The human race is filled with passion.
And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”
About Ika:
I began my career as a professional dancer, choreographer, and ballet teacher, receiving my training first in Europe, and continuing on in Canada and the U.S., under the Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) and Canadian Dance Teachers Association (C.D.T.A.) programs.
My many travels and love of reading and philosophy eventually lead me to get a B.A. in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin). That love of philosophy, metaphysics, art, and the search for wisdom ignited in me a desire to share my love with others. I’ve embraced my creative side, fully immersing myself in everything that brings me joy: art, painting, books, music, dance, daydreams. Dulce otium.
