This painting was inspired while reading the book Remnants by Elyse Semerdjian. My intentions for this painting were to create a new type of classical painting. Like paintings found in churches of biblical scenes, but from a gendered feminist perspective.

In Armenian the word for struggle is “կռիւ” which is pronounced exactly like the word Grieve in English. In the depths of the grief of losing my father last November it often felt like I was fighting with the traumatic memories of his last few hours of life.

A response to the work Thérèse by Balthus. I place myself in the pose that Thérèse took in Balthus’ work but with a few key differences.

What would memory look like if it was a physical place? This work is part of a triptych. The work was conceived by creating a diorama filled with old family photos, paper, cardboard and symbolic items. Then the paintings were created using different views of the diorama.

largescale portrait of my eldest daughter.

Through documenting my family via my art, I seek to anchor my reality in tangible proof, lending legitimacy to what they endured and the resilience they demonstrated. Recording my family’s every day is a testament to our survival. This painting could be any day we visit our parents, but it is solidly placed in a moment in history during the pandemic by the masks the subjects hold.

Description This project was all about exploring variations of one theme. I chose to use different methods to produce each variation. From regular screen-printing to painting directly onto the screen and then printing leading to the creation of a monotype. The most interesting part was the unpredictability of the watercolor and its fading as subsequent passes were made. Each variation is special in its own way.