Aykaz Arzumanyan : Life is a Rose

Hi Aykaz, thank you for sitting down with us for this interview. Let's start with your story. You were born in Armenia and traveled with your parents all your childhood. What do you remember from this period of your life? 

 My parents have always loved Art. I grew up surrounded by works of art, paintings and sculptures. For me it was almost a daily occurence to see and touch objects worked by the hands of craftsmen and women. I didn't always know what materials were used to make them, but I loved to touch them. I admired them. 

After several stays in France, you decided to settle there in 2004 and start creating art. How does one go from lawyer to artist?

When I moved to France in 2004, I continued to work as a lawyer for art galleries and foreign clients who were looking for pieces to buy in France and in Europe. 

 At the same time, I was making paintings for myself. My passion for painting took precedence over my work as a lawyer, and I decided to fully devote myself to it. I was convinced that this was my calling and that I would succeed. 

You have invented your own painting technique. Can you explain the creation process in any way? What are the steps and materials used? How long on average does it take you to finish a canvas?

I’m able to achieve my technique thanks to custom made knives, crafted specifically for that purpose, along with certain other tools. 

This technique was invented in reference to the rose, the flower, and in fact it is my eldest daughter’s first name. In my mind, they are rose petals placed on the canvas with a calculated amount of oil paint. They are arranged in a geometrical way, vertically or diagonally each time. 

The completion of a canvas, including drying and varnishing, takes a month and a half. I work with oil paint without using other mixtures. 

Is the choice of colours used arbitrary? How do you define the main colour of a canvas and the one used in small doses that will eventually give the work its final identity? 

I have visited many art exhibitions, decoration fairs or furniture shows to find my inspiration: colours, shapes and techniques. I also draw my inspiration from the colours of flags of different countries around the world. 

What sensations do you hope to trigger in the viewer when they discover the universe you’ve created?

I hope to trigger emotions and feelings in my viewers. I create my works with all the sincerity, the joy, the happiness or sadness that I may feel at the time of painting. It is the story of my life.  

What does the act of painting mean to you?

I love my life as an artist. I love my art and the emotions it provokes in people, so much so that I hope to keep painting for the rest of my days.