Up Close In An Artist’s World

Andreas Pasvantis has long held admiration for artist Peggy Kuiper. “I had been following Peggy’s work as a fashion photographer way before she picked up a paintbrush – her aesthetic was always so striking. Even when she transitioned into painting a few years ago, I stayed tuned in, watching her evolve,” Andreas tells me. “There was something about her paintings that hit me differently – something rare, almost magnetic.” With each new piece of Peggy’s he saw online, the desire to see them in person only grew stronger. “Then one day, I reached out to her, inviting her for a simple cup of tea.”

In the months that followed, what began as a casual meeting developed into an all-encompassing project. ‘PEGGY’ is a three-minute short film that offers viewers a window into the reflective world of the artist. Through her own voice, the film navigates themes of nature’s quiet influence, the sparks of inspiration found in everyday moments, and the spontaneous, intuitive processes that guide her creative expression.

Andreas was determined to translate the specific texture and layered depth of Peggy’s paintings onto film. “Just like Peggy, I work very intuitively. That was true for this film especially. The idea for the film, actually, as well as the images, just came to me,” he says. Through countless conversations that meandered between the trivial and deep-rooted, both he and Peggy got down to the heart of her craft. Andreas says the locations they uncovered as important for Peggy became the only structured plans for shoot days. “The rest followed organically from there.”

Eschewing standard methods, Andreas chose to lean on an older craft in order to do justice to Peggy’s art. “From the very first moment, I envisioned a portrait film about Peggy and her art, it was very clear this could only be captured through analogue mediums,” he explains. “To put it even more boldly, I wouldn’t have made this film if I had to shoot on digital. The textures, colours, and layered nuances simply can’t be captured digitally the way I think they should be.” His choice was to work with 16mm Bolex, Super8, and 35mm film. The goal was to honour the natural, imperfect beauty of both his subject’s work and his own artistic vision.

Despite a modest crew and the inevitable logical hurdles of independent filmmaking, Andreas found plenty to be pleased with. “My crew was so kind as to collaborate on the project as a favour. They had their own commissioned project, passion projects, and of course personal lives to be considered… So aligning agendas in combination with sunlight was sometimes a bit challenging.” He adds, “Luckily, we weren’t in a rush, so in the end we shot everything we wanted and took our time for the best available light situations, re-edits, and making the music compositions from scratch.”

Taking a step back from his usual, fast-paced commercial projects, Andreas welcomed and revelled in the slower process for ‘PEGGY’. “It was quite refreshing to slow down a bit. That way, we could really come close to Peggy and see her art being created, observe her in her natural environments, and also craft our film similar to how she made her paintings – with patience and a lot of attention.” He believes that layering is as important a process to film as it is to painting. “Peggy usually paints over her first couple of ‘draft paintings’ to eventually come to an end result… We kind of did the same. That was especially true in the edit together with Amber, the editor. Perhaps in our film the audience will be able to feel that ‘layered’ experience of Peggy’s paintings.”

Nature itself is deeply embedded in Peggy’s work so Andreas was keen to take full advantage of it for the film. “I wanted to capture Peggy in the situations that act as the natural foundations of her art… I desperately wanted to visualise Peggy and her art in autumn colours. Since her colour palette is such a great visual blend with autumn nature,” he explains.

For Andreas, the film isn’t meant to provide all the answers to the viewer but, instead, invite them into a conversation. “The big challenge of this film was balancing the portrayal of Peggy’s journey with her art without fully explaining the deeper meanings behind it. We aimed to keep it elusive, almost magical – like her artworks.” He continues, “As David Lynch once said, ‘As soon as you finish a film, people want to talk about it. And it’s, uhm... the film is the talking.’ We wanted the film to speak for itself, leaving space for the audience to interpret and connect with it in their own way.”

When I ask Andreas about standout moments, there’s one that’s clear. “I’ve shot a lot with ‘non-actors’ or documentary people – you could call them ‘real people’. But seeing Peggy jumping in the lake with freezing temperatures for a shot is something I take my hat off for… deeply. Especially as a half-Greek-always-freezing director.”