Mobile Photography & Art – Portrait of an Artist – Seeing Through The Eyes Of Armineh Hovanesian
We are delighted to bring to you the sixth in our brand new series of interviews within our Portrait of an Artist column entitled ˜Seeing through the eyes…”. This is a section that has been created by our wonderful Portrait of an Artist Editor, Ile Mont. Mont has been inspired by the life and works of Carolyn Hall Young, as so many of us have. Young was the main contributor to our Portrait of an Artist Flickr pool and filled it with portraits of so many wonderful people, not only of herself. It is for this reason that Mont wanted to create this section, to enable us to view the artists style through their own eyes. At the end of each interview, Mont will keep Young’s tradition alive, with a portrait of herself, seen through the eyes of the artist. In this case, you will see that at the end of this interview there is a portrait of Mont, seen through the eyes of Armineh Hovanesian, what a gift!
Please continue to post your mobile portraiture to our dedicated Flickr group, this way, Mont will search through these artists first to interview. (foreword by Joanne Carter).
All images in this interview ©Armineh Hovanesian, with the final images a collaboration ©Ile Mont/Armineh Hovanesian
(To view our other published interviews in this series, please go here).
Would you like to introduce yourself?
My name is Armineh Hovanesian, I am a photographer and a mobile artist and at the moment I reside in Los Angeles, California.
What does being creative mean to you?
Being creative is having the freedom to express the inner voices constantly nudging at me from all sides!
Can you describe the time when you first realised that creating was something you absolutely had to do?
Being an introvert, creativity was my only outlet of expressing what I wanted to say. I have been creating from a very young age however the world of mobile photography/mobile art gave me the tools I needed to further manifest my thoughts into reality. Since I lack in communication skills, creating is my language.
What are you trying to communicate with your art?
Thoughts, love, frustration, anger, sadness, contemplation, observations, impressions. A different perspective of viewing life. Evoking deep emotions.
Why portraits and self portraits?
Creating portraits gives me great opportunity to connect with people. Self portraits give me the freedom to convey what is brewing inside.
What do you think are the ups and downs about working with your own image?
I see no down sides. Working with my own image is liberating and I do not have to worry about pleasing another person. I’m able to represent myself and perpetuate my own personal mythologies. A self-portrait is an expressive outlet that can lead an artist down many different roads.
Is there an artwork you are most proud of?
I am very proud of my Elements of Vachag series. To have a master artist give you the freedom to use their work in conjunction of what you do is priceless. Vachag Tersarkissian is the master and his work has given me the wings I needed to take flight.
How do you know when a work is finished?
A work is finished when there’s no further need to add or take away any aspects. I feel that it somehow tells me that it is complete.
What kind of creative patterns, routines or rituals do you have?
The only pattern I have is my mindset and the necessary ritual is listening to classical music.
What inspires you?
What is being breathed into my unconscious at any given time! My art is completely internally driven, it is about my emotions and passions of the moment; my environment and my response to it.
What are your favorite tools and apps while creating?
What’s the best advice you ever had about how to be more creative?
The master of everything mobile art, Carolyn Hall Young. I had the privilege to speak with her twice and she told me to stay focused, pay no mind to please the masses, stay true to yourself, stay original and keep on creating.
What advice would you share with us?
Same advice I was given. Stay focused. Pay no mind to please the masses. Stay true to yourself. Stay original. Keep on creating.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to see a little through the eyes of Armineh Hovanesian and quite a honor to have been seen through her eyes too”.
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Ile Mont
Ileana Mont Born in Mexico City, Ileana is a professional in graphic communications and advertising. She studied in San Diego, CA. in the United States and later on she returned to Mexico City where she worked as a copywriter, graphic designer and creative director for several advertising agencies, until she realized she had a more artistic calling and a very strong feeling for painting and photography. She learned about painting techniques with Mexican artist Irma Grizá and engaged in developing and combining her photography and computer graphics skills through her visual expression. She is now an independent visual artist and photographer and has been featured in some important blogs about mobile art and photography. Ileana enjoys looking for the beauty out of ordinary things and the special things of our everyday lives.
