Carvings By Father & Daughter Nairi And Larisa Safaryans At The Silvana Gallery

Written by Ingrid Fleischmann Monday, 12 March 2012 21:10

Glendale CA.- The Silvana Gallery will present an exhibition of the works of master and world class woodcarver Nairi Safaryan alongside his daughter Larisa's famous carved eggshells from March 26 to April 15 2011. Working with different mediums, both these artists have a delicate and extremely intricate touch, creating works of stunning beauty.Nairi Safaryan was born in Nagorno Karabakh in Armenia in 1958. After graduating from the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute as an engineer in 1980, he expected to go into scientific research and took up a post in a prestigious local enterpirse. However, and despite meeting his wife through his job, it did not last for long, when his childhood love of woodcarving reasserted itself. As a child, Nairi had been well know for his wooden toys, chalk sculptures and drawings. In 1987 Nairi Safaryan became a member of the Art Fund which gave him a chance to show his works.




He displayed one vase and one jewel box. Both found admirers and instant buyers. Once again Nairi was reassured that his hands are capable of creating fine pieces of art. Nairi decided to show his work at Vernisage (an outdoor art fair in the central region of Yerevan). It was September 21st 1991, the day of Liberty Quorum, when he first appeared in Vernisage with one of his works, a jewelry box. He did not have his own display table, so he placed the box on the ground in a corner. The box that was made of a single block of pear wood from a local Armenian orchard, carved several layers deep with vine leaves and fruits – each leaf so thin and light, each tendril so fine and sinewy, the fruits so remarkably natural, that they immediately caught people’s attention. Everyone wanted but would not dare to touch the box as it seemed to be so delicate. Maybe this was the reason why everybody was stunned when US congressman F.James Sensenbrenner, Jr., accompanied with Armenian’s future Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi Hovhannesyan, approached Nairi, reached to the ground with obvious astonishment and took the box in his hands. He paid the full asking price and went away very happy. Nairi, walking away himself, sadly but proudly said goodbye to his work, while people throughout the Vernisgae still were talking about the box and saying that it was wrong of him to sell such a beautiful creation as the next one might not come out so perfect.

However, Nairi knew “my next one will be better”. Nairi did not return to the Vernisage for the next few months. Instead he was working day and night. Combining his technical knowledge with his artistic talent, he was designing and carving to the limits of the wood’s strength, achieving extraordinary levels of thinness and refinement of the material. In 1996, after being featured in two shows at Yerevan’s Folk Art Museum, Nairi was named a Folk Master. Besides being unique as an artist, in his case master woodcarver, Nairi’s work has a specific charm because of his deep devotion to his roots and understanding of his national heritage. Now world class carver and artist Nairi Safaryan’s carvings are exhibited in many museums and private collections around the world.



Larisa Safaryan is a very talented artist. It's not a surprise however, after seeing the work of her father Nairi Safaryan. Larisa has never attended an art class. She has a masters degree in Psychology and is now studying for her second masters degree in Public Management. These obviously have nothing to do with art. Her talent and passion for art resides inside her, until she beautifully displays it to the world through her carvings. Larisa's carvings are delicate, elaborate, and definitely not for the faint of heart. She creates masterpieces on egg shells ranging from the size of a tiny parrot egg, to emu and ostrich eggs. The designs she carves are as different as the eggs upon which she carves. Simple designs might include a flower, while the more elaborate designs include nature scenes or a filigree lace, all of which she creates from her own imagination. She does not need some specific thing to inspire her to start a carving. It is enough for her just to sit down, take a pencil to paper, and give freedom to her thoughts. Her fingers and creative imagination do the rest. Art makes her forget about mundane things, and lets her soul see what her eyes cannot. Larisa’s carvings make a beautiful addition to anyone’s art collection. To own a carving by this talented artist is something that can put a smile on your face. You know that each carving is truly a one of a kind. Just thinking about the love, passion and time that goes into each of her carvings, is truly inspirational. Some people only dream of beauty, Larisa creates it. When people ask Larisa if it’s a real egg shell in which she has carved something beautiful. She answers with a smile, “It used to be, until I touched it.”

The Silvana Gallery is located on a wide four-lane boulevard in the beautiful city of Glendale, California, bordering the north side of Los Angeles. This upscale fine art Gallery is housed in a dramatic new building. Created by those who know and understand fine art, the Gallery represents well known artists from America, Europe and Asia. The artwork on display is largely contemporary, western,  impressionist, traditional and fine crafts (all handmade originals). The works of art that are featured at the Silvana Gallery have been selected for their timeless beauty and long-term investment value. The Silvana Gallery represents a celebration of life!  Acquiring fine art allows us to connect with something enchanting beyond ourselves and enjoy flights of fancy to new worlds or old dreams. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.silvanagallery.com

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