Interview

Written By Editorial Team

David Grigorian

David was born in Armenia, which is sandwiched between Turkey and Iran. His powerful eyes have enabled him to observe and understand the world where his ears have failed him.

David had to learn to lip-read as he never had hearing aids. He still went to the regular public school with the hearing children. He learned mostly by reading, writing, and watching. He also loved to draw and paint.

David settled in the United States when he was fifteen years old. He graduated from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in fine arts in illustration, specializing in children’s books and storytelling.

 

What is your background and how did you start your journey?

 “I was born hearing impaired and I remember watching my parents’ mouths move, as I observed how the lips formed every single letter. Over time, I learned to lip-read. The silence surrounding me when I was young made me feel isolated and lonely. I began to withdraw and escape deeper into my inner world. As I was exploring my young universe, I made drawings and sketches of things I saw, slowly becoming an artist and storyteller.

I got my first hearing aids when I was eleven years old, and my family and I moved to Japan. Japan’s exotic nature, like the sakura cherry blossoms, and Japanese culture stimulated me visually, inspiring me to take up drawing and painting. I started drawing the insects I saw, but also included things that I imagined in other lands and worlds. I was especially captivated by galaxies and planets.”

What inspires you most?

“I’m inspired by the eyes, eyesight, and being able to visualize your reality. The movement of the water, clouds, and galaxies in the sky also inspire me. The Egyptians, Mayans, and Aztecs have always made me think about the cultures of other worlds.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“My paintings are based on abstract, surreal, fantasy, universe, and the spiritual subject matter and storytelling that I find in my imagination and other worlds. I’m still incorporating eyes and eyeballs in my paintings. They speak to the power of the eyes that helped me learn about this world, the vision to see the unseen, and the power to see solutions, innovations, and hope through the eyes.”

“I aspire to capture the movements of life and vastness of the universe in my abstract and surreal artworks.”

How would you describe your work?

“My current art has a lot of movement, bright and contrasting colors, three-dimensional subjects, a sense of space and balance, symmetry, light and shadow, depth, perspective, and emotions.

My focus tends to be on fantasy, other worlds, alien landscapes, and magic. My style is very bright and vibrant, with a lot of contrast and movement. I have a strong sense of form, shape, light and dark, use of colors, and perspective. I’m able to make series of compositions showing movement and story progression.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I love the works of Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, and Leonardo da Vinci.”

 What is your creative process like?

“I start by doodling the painting I had in my vision. I will sketch until I get the closest depiction of my mind’s vision. On a canvas, I paint general shapes in the background, later moving on to work out the foreground. Then I start to work on coloring, shading, and highlighting until the final image is born.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“The artist’s role is to inspire, entertain, and educate. to help people see and understand the world around them from a different point of view. To better see and feel the political and cultural environment, and engage with life’s sorrows and joys.

Artists today have more freedom and methods to express how they see the world. With social media, it’s relatively easy to be seen and heard.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I’ve had a number of group and solo shows throughout Denver and Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.

In 2010, I had a sculpture installed at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

In 2004, my painting was displayed in the Smithsonian.

I’ve also had my artwork, poems, and articles published in local newsletters and a magazine.”

Editorial Team
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