“For me color is everything. Color comes before shape and form. It creates the space, dimension, and—most importantly—the feelings”
Background
My mom told me that I started scribbling before I started talking. I believe that is why painting is the most primary method of expression for me. I was born in Tabriz, the capital city of Iranian Azerbaijan. Tabriz is the city of carpets and miniatures. As a child, I was inspired by colorful abstract motifs on rugs. I started painting at a very early age and won the “Best Young Artist” prize at age nine among the local schools. I studied art in my hometown and later in Manchester, England.
I have worked in various creative fields throughout my career. As a fabric designer, graphic designer, art director, and currently creative consultant, I’ve solely relied on fine arts and my continuous painting process as a source of inspiration. As well as a foundation for my professional life, painting is also my livelihood.
I consider myself more of a colorist. For me, color is everything. Color comes before shape and form. It creates space, dimension, and—most importantly—feelings.
Artist Statement and Process
We view the world using our eyes with a limited color spectrum and depth of vision. But what if we had compound eyes like insects, sonar capabilities like dolphins, or even used smell and other senses to receive our vision? As an artist, I am interested in the void between the known and the unknown.
For me, art is a doorway to the subconscious, and color is the key. My artistic process is a spiritual journey through the colors that occur to my eyes as composers would hear the notes in their ears. The process is spontaneous. It happens outside of the realm of self and intellect. Forms come in to represent the colors. More than an artist, I consider myself a medium to provide the observer (including myself) with access to the unknown or the forgotten. My art is successful only when each viewer sees her or his own story in it and makes a deeper connection to the self and the universe through it. Listening to what others see in my paintings, I am continually surprised by our shared collective memory.
Recent Awards and Recognitions
2022—Awarded with Honorable Mention by Eliot Dudik, the juror of the Art League’s May 2022 Open Exhibit for "Rainessance”
2022—Awarded with Honorable Mention by Amber Cowan, the juror of the Art League’s August 2022 Open Exhibit for “Enigma”
2020—Selected for 2021 Solo Show by The Art League, Alexandria, VA
October 2020—Awarded with Honorable Mention by Raymond Padron, the juror of the Art League’s October 2020 Open Exhibit for "Bosons"
April 2020—Selected by Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) for its prestigious Annual Auction Gala
December 2019—The Art League Best in Show Award, The Art League, Alexandria, VA > READ INTERVIEW >
June 2018—Anne Banks Award for Best in Show by The Art League, Alexandria, VA > READ INTERVIEW >
April 2018—Equal Merit Award by The Art League, Alexandria, VA
April 2018—Selected by WPA for its Annual Auction Gala
March 2015—Evelyn Turner Best of the Show Award for Abstraction by The Art League in 2015 > READ INTERVIEW >
January 2011—Selected by Karabakh Foundation for a solo show at the PEPCO Edison Gallery, DC 2011
Exhibits
I actively show my work in the UK and US at art fairs, solo shows, and group shows. My works are regularly selected and awarded by distinguished local and International jurors with a solid presence in Artsy. Please see Shows for current, upcoming, and past recent shows.
Education and Training
Master’s in Digital Application Design for Textiles, The University of Manchester, UK, 1987
Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and Textiles, The University of Manchester, UK, 1984
Abstract Art, Training by Sam Gilliam 1993-1995 by and courses by Beverly Ryan and other instructors, The Art League, Alexandria, VA 2009-2023