Stairway To Heaven
Artist: SAINT KYRIAKI (Katie Elizabeth Chonacas)
Medium: Permanent ink marker (Sharpie) on fine cotton canvas panel
Curatorial Description
Stripping the visual canvas down to its most raw, elementary state, STAIRWAY
TO HEAVEN: Echoes of Led is a compelling exercise in stark graphic isolation.
Drawn entirely with a single black permanent marker on a compact canvas panel,
the work functions as a deeply personal crossroads where formative teenage
artistic awe, cinematic dark fantasy, and heavy musical folklore intersect.
The composition is heavily anchored and divided by a central, staggered
diagonal staircase—a direct visual metaphor for the iconic rock anthem "Stairway
to Heaven." This jagged architectural line splits the field into two opposing
halves, densely filled with rapid, directional hatch marks. These expressive ink
strokes evoke the signature, rich silver-gelatin contrasts of Ansel Adams'
landscape photography—an aesthetic first discovered by the artist during a
pivotal teenage encounter at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Simultaneously, the
sharp, slightly surreal geometry and moody weight of the dense black ink
channel a distinct, Gothic expressionism reminiscent of Tim Burton’s cinematic
worlds.
By relying strictly on the unforgiving finality of a permanent marker, the artist
leaves no room for hesitation. Every line records an immediate, rhythmic trace of
the spirit, transforming an intimate 5x7 plane into an sprawling, epic monument of
sound, shadow, and memory.
Item Details
• Original Artwork: 1-of-1 physical drawing. Signed by the artist.
• Canvas Dimensions: 5" × 7" (12.7 cm × 17.8 cm) miniature canvas panel.
• Surface Composition: 100% triple-primed cotton canvas mounted onto a
sturdy backing board.
