Today we’d like to introduce you to HARO ISTAMBOULIAN
Hi HARO, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been drawing all my life. I remember trying to emulate pages from my comic books. Or when I started high school, I started a little makeshift business drawing band logos on peoples backpacks with whiteout pens. After attending a little bit of college, I began using oil paints. And it’s amazing how something you absolutely hate can become something you’re pretty good at later in life. I despised portraits and drawing peoples faces. And now it’s my profession. Life is weird sometimes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never smooth. Come on, really? Have you met anyone who had a smooth road that led to the fulfillment of their dreams and goals? If life was easy, everyone would get what they want and that would be a problem. I’ve had a rough road back to back. And when I look at it all in hindsight, I always see everything clearer. I mean, I understand why things happened the way that they did.
I’m four years sober this year and that’s not even all of it. Among the ruins, you’ll find a debilitating back condition, having to move many times, nearly becoming homeless and as I mentioned, fighting for sobriety and recovery. But on the other side of all this pain and struggle, you’ll find success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Whoisharo.com was launched in 2007 but didn’t become a business until 2015. I specialize in oil paintings (both ecommerce and custom commission) and resin work. As far as resin goes, I build custom coffee tables and end tables, but as time progresses, I’ll be moving onto larger products and custom work such as dining tables. Space is too limited for that now.
I’m colorblind, so my oil paintings are mostly in black and white. There are over 200 shades of grey between the color white and the color black, so my world focuses on those shades. I specialize in hyperrealism, so I aspire my paintings to look like photographs. The more detailed those shades of grey are, the closer the painting gets to looking photo realistic.
I’d also like to add that whatever vision a client has in their mind can be created through my work. Your vision shouldn’t be limited for any reason. I do commission work to make your vision a reality.
What does success mean to you?
Success isn’t tangible. Success is a feeling and an experience. Whenever I got through a bad day or a painful experience, I felt success. For instance, a large painting that I’d be working on can take upwards of 70 to 150 hours to complete. When I finally reach completion of a painting, it’s not the actual painting that brought me to success. It’s the experience, the journey and the learning through all those hours of paint that brought me to that point. The painting itself is just an avatar which defines that moment.
Pricing:
- 9×10 painting – $250
- 16×20 painting – $450
- 18×24 painting – $600
- 24×36 painting – $1,200
- Custom Resin Coffee Table of Your Design Choice – from $250 – $1000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whoisharo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/whoisharo
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/whoisharo
Image Credits
Haro Istamboulian
