Wood Symphony Gallery | NAIRI SAFARYAN 2/2

NAIRI SAFARYAN

"I hear the quiet music of wood, and want to make it heard by others."

Nairi Safaryan's uncanny eye for beauty, never failing imagination, limitless patience and innate artistry have catapulted this Armenian woodcarver and sculptor onto the fine arts stage, where his masterful works are exhibited in many museums and private collections around the world.

Each stunning piece is carved to the limits of the wood's capacity by combining technical knowledge with artistic talent. Digging several layers deep, Nairi Safaryan's expert hands achieve extraordinary levels of refinement that allow delicate leaves and petals to be paper thin, and fine tendril feather light and sinewy.

Biography

Nairi Safaryan was born in 1958 in the town of Shushi located in the Artsakh region of Armenia. Nairi's childhood is filled with memories of carving wooden toys, drawing and creating chalk sculptures. In 1973 he moved with his family to Yerevan. It was there that he attended Yerevan Polytechnic Institute and received his degree in engineering. Shortly after graduation he took a promising position with a prestigious company as an engineer. Nairi began his life as an engineer.

Even with his duties at work Nairi always found time for his carving. In 1987 Nairi Safaryan became a member of the Art Fund. Nairi Safaryan was working day and night combining his technical knowledge with his artistic talent. He could envision the finished design for his next piece. He began carving to the limits of the wood's strength, achieving extraordinary levels of thinness and refinement of the material. Safaryan begun to make a name for himself in the local art world garnering much respect and appreciation for his work from both his peers and local art critics.

In 1996, after being invited to participate in two exhibitions at the Yerevan Folk Art Museum, Safaryan was honored with the title of Folk Master. This honor was bestowed on him not only because he had reached the level of Master Woodcarver, but because Safaryan's work had a special charm which always showed his deep devotion to his roots and a great understanding of his national heritage.

Today, as a world-class artist working in wood, Nairi Safaryan's carvings can be found in many museums and private collections around the world.

www.nairisafaryan.com

Selected Awards

2018 California Carvers Guild Award, 2018 Design in Wood, International Competitive Exhibition of Fine Woodworking

2014 1st Place Winner, Northwest Woodworkers Gallery

2013 Finalist, NICHE Awards Magazine

2013 Editor's Choice, Readers' Choice- Woodworking Excellence Awards, Popular Woodworking Magazine

2012 Stylized Carving Contest Winner, Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine

2011 Gil Borgos Originality Award, Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, CA

2010 The Grand Prize Winner, Carving Artistry Contest sponsored by PFEIL & Woodcraft Magazine

2009 Best of Show, California Carvers Guild

2009 Two First Places, Woodcarving Show, Romana Country Carvers, San Jacinto, CA

2009 Four Entries -4 1st Places, Orange County Carvers Show & Competition, Tustin, CA

2002 Best of the Best, 5th Annual Cambria Wood Show, Cambria, California

2002 People’s Choice Award, Smoky Hollow Chapter of CCG, Glendale, California

2002 Best of Show and First Place, Smoky Hollow Chapter of CCG, Glendale, California

Selected Exhibitions

2023

LA Art Show 2018, Wood Symphony Gallery, Los Angeles, CA