“Demetrios Xethalis’ ancestors had been artists and craftsman since antiquity so it seemed only natural that he would follow in the footsteps of his fore-bearers. He was taught how to design an create jewelry by member of his family. His first originals were made in his father’s workshop in Corinth, Greece.
Demetrios loved the flowers of his native land and started interpreting them in metal while a teenager. He came to America in his early twenties and attended New York University’s School of Engineering. The wildflowers he found here fascinated him as much as the ones that had inspired him in his native land. Today, many of Demetrios’ pieces are re-creations of flora native to the continental United States. However, he is involved on other projects as well, including a series of metallic reproductions of bonsai trees for a small group of international collectors.
Demetrios works in his studio in East Windsor, N.J., located seven miles from the Princeton campus. Each of his creations is unique and one-of-a-kind. Each leaf is carefully an meticulously attached one at a time to the stem or branch. Copper is rarely used by Demetrios. Instead, the artist prefers to work mainly in brass, which is a stronger material. Brass allows Demetrios to make thinner, daintier and more realistic flowers than if he employed copper.
He uses a chemical oxidation process on the brass to get a natural green color on the leaves.
The flower petals are made from a colored undercoating and a crystal clear enamel which is baked on to the coating’s surface. The semi-glossy baked enamel is preferred by Demetrios over fired enamel, which is too shiny and glossy and takes away from the realistic look of the plants.
For tree trunks, Demetrios generally uses both copper and silver. This combination creates different color variations and highlights along the length of the trunk, thus making the trunk look more natural.
Demetrios has his own special method of attaching the metallic bottoms of his pieces to their rock bases. As a final touch, he puts a layer of fiberglass on the bottom of the bases so they won’t scratch the surfaces they stand on.”
Excerpt from a Flowers by Demetrios, Inc. catalog, circa 1980.