Meet Varouján Hovakimyan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Varouján Hovakimyan.

Varouján, before we jump into specific questions about your art, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in 1978 in Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan. Both my parents played a crucial role during my childhood and teenage years, by being inspirational figures who impressed upon me the value of hard work and discipline and instilled in me the love of fine art, music and literature. It was my father who introduced me to the wonderful world of visual arts where, according to him, anything was possible.

As a kid, I loved painting still lifes from a very early age of six. My father and his artist friends were eager to express their opinions every time I had a new piece of painting or drawing to show. They gave me guidance and advice about art way before I even knew that it could be my chosen path in life. At that age, their opinions meant everything to me. My father, being a professional artist/sculptor himself, organized my first “solo exhibition” when I was maybe seven or eight years old, mostly as a way of encouragement. Well, I can tell you that it worked. It gave me a sense of direction and self-confidence. I felt that there is something in this world that I could truly pursue and be good at. I held on to that feeling throughout my childhood and teenage years. Whenever I felt lost or uncertain about what I should do with my life, that feeling came to rescue.

After studying music (violin) for almost nine years I decided to go back to art. It felt like the most natural thing for me to do at that time. In 1994 I started a graduate program at The Fine Art Academy in Yerevan. I studied graphic arts at the academy until 1999 focusing on drawing, painting, illustration, and printmaking. During this time, I had solo and group exhibitions, illustrated books, and learned graphic design.

In 1999 my family and I moved to Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles became my home since then. For the past 20 years living in Los Angeles, I’ve had quite a few solos and numerous group exhibitions and participated in nationally and internationally acclaimed art shows and festivals.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say for most artists the road is filled with many obstacles, rejections and hardships. It is rarely a smooth road for an artist. For me, the main difficulty was to achieve a financial stability that will allow me to move forward with my art career and most importantly to continue to develop and grow as an artist. Luckily, I started to think about this when I was a freshman student at the art academy in Yerevan. I figured that the closest thing to drawing and painting was graphic design.

I started to learn Photoshop and landed my first job in 1997 as a graphic designer. From then on, I worked as a graphic artist for various companies in Armenia and here in The United States. I still work as a graphic arts designer for a reputable company in LA. Of course, it is hard to juggle a full-time job and be an artist, but I’m very grateful to have this job. It gives me the financial freedom I need, so I can continue to pursue my art.

Not having enough time is another issue for me. Honestly, there is never enough time no matter the circumstances. But I strongly believe, that our minds shape our reality, so I’m pretty confident that in the future I will have more time to dedicate to my art.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
I love to experiment with different mediums and techniques; mixed media, etching, monotype, encaustic just to name a few. I think if curiosity is there, one should jump in and explore. It makes me happy, keeps me excited and motivated.

One of my favorite techniques is a monotype. It’s a type of printmaking technique that fascinates me the most because of its unique textural qualities. I also do ink drawings. There is a thin line here between abstract and surreal. I do these mostly on fabric, then it is glued on a piece of wood and covered with epoxy resin.

Lately, I discovered another fascinating medium which is called encaustic. It is an ancient painting technique first practiced by Greek artists and dates as far back as 5th century BC. Encaustic means “to burn in” and it uses a combination of beeswax and damar resin mixed with color pigments. You have to constantly apply heat to melt the medium while working on your piece. During 2019 I have created a body of work in encaustic. The pieces range from small to large sizes. I think I will continue using this medium in the future.

I don’t sketch or plan beforehand. Instead, I write down words, ideas for each piece on a piece of paper. That sets the mood for the piece itself. Regardless of what medium I would choose for my next piece, all my work is an exploration of human perceptions where the simplest ideas can turn into layered, complex puzzles and the intricate ones – into brightly illuminated paths or symbols.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would definitely have started to learn about the business side of being an artist early on in my career. No matter how much artists (including myself) hate to deal with this aspect, I think that it is crucial to have this skill, this business-like mindset in order to succeed in this day and age.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The Beverly Hills Art Show is coming up in May 16 & 17, 2020. It is one of the largest and most respected outdoor shows on the west coast, attracting artists from all over the country, and some of L.A.’s finest. It takes places in the historic Beverly Gardens in the heart of Beverly Hills. The art show runs along Santa Monica Boulevard from Rodeo Drive to Rexford Drive and is free to public. More shows are in the works for 2020. The best way to support and to know more about my upcoming shows and ongoing projects is to follow me on instagram @varoujanart or by joining my mailing list at https://bit.ly/37Idrwb