Some might consider the concepts of “strength” and “vulnerability” as a dichotomy, but artist Larisa Safaryan uses the relationship between the two to influence her art.
“I started using this unconventional and fragile medium because it resembles the fragility of life. I can show through my works how beautiful and ephemeral that fragility can be,” the Saugus resident said.
Born and raised in Yerevan, Armenia, Safaryan began her professional artistic journey at the age of 20, during her senior year of college, before coming to the United States.
“I’m a self-taught artist. I haven’t studied art, but I studied, psychology, management, and then I have two master’s degrees in Armenia. Art was always something that I loved, and I have been painting, making sculptures since my childhood. I started creating exhibitions in my last year of university, and many people were surprised to see that I love art,” Safaryan said. “When I came to the U.S., I didn’t create art for maybe two years, but then I received an invitation from a gallery to make a teapot because they were doing an annual teapot show.”
From there, Safaryan has consistently created work for exhibitions throughout the world, with a solo exhibition coming up in Los Angeles in September.
Using hand-carved and painted egg shells, Safaryan’s work can take months to fully encapsulate her vision.
“The idea to use eggshells just came to me. I love the material — my father was a sculptor as well. He uses wood. I was trying wood, but it was too hard. When I started working with eggshells, they were so fragile and perfect for my fingers. I didn’t need to have strength. What it requires, though, is patience — you have to be really, really careful,” Safaryan said. “It takes a long time because each piece is carefully cleaned and sanitized. I paint several layers inside the egg. Some pieces are fully covered in the egg shells. It’s like a puzzle you have to assemble. I enjoy the process.”
Safaryan uses the eggshells to showcase the cycles of life — in essence, demonstrating the “deepest truths of the human experience.” She often sketches an idea ahead of time, butfinds “going with the flow” to be more liberating.
“I use a special compound glue to glue the pieces, then cover my pieces with acrylic casing,” Safaryan said. “I think, as people, we seem very strong. Inside, we are very fragile, but we’re also strong because we hold life — we bring life. I like playing with the thought that the egg resembles the fragility of human life. I think being free in art is very important. Even when I paint, sometimes I try to control the outcome, I may not get what I want, so I just let it go and do what I feel like doing in the moment. Without control, or trying to be perfect, that’swhen the best pieces are created.”
