She studied Decorative Arts at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, obtaining a degree with a specialisation in Mural Art in 2001, and a masters with a specialisation in Experiments and Transpositions in the Visual Arts in 2002.

In Greece, she attended the practical and theoretical iconography courses of George Kordis, a collaboration which would have a powerful impact on her development as an iconographer and help her cultivate a creative approach in this field.

Adela is a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece and has 18 years of experience in the study and painting of Christian iconography. Her works can be found in iconographic ensembles in churches as well as in private collections.

Her hand-written icons, created in the Byzantine painting style, are not merely copies of old icons, but new interpretations that respect tradition while also introducing new elements. All of Adela’s icons are unique, and the process of their creation – from research and preliminary sketches to the drawing, painting and varnishing – is painstaking, involving a lot of hard work and passion.

She paints in the traditional technique of egg tempera. She uses wooden panels, paper and canvas as substrates, deriving inspiration from their different textures. Depending on the composition, she may also create the backgrounds using the highly complex water gilding technique.

She recently began experimenting in the use of a limited colour palette, the ancient Greek tetrachromy, comprised of red, ochre, white and black. Mixed together, a multitude of different shades and tones is obtained, affording her icons a special chromatic harmony and freshness.

The feeling of serenity emanating from Adela’s painting facilitates the moment of communion between the viewer and the saint or event depicted, a quality that helps the icon perform its liturgical and ecclesiastical role.