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JACK AVETISYAN: FROM
by Dale Youngman
Jack Avetisyan is an Armenian-American artist whose energetic style is engaging and thought-provoking, as it varies from whimsical to wildly abstract, employing subtle symbolism, distortion, and illustration to create work that ranges from comical to in-your-face confrontational. Depicting urban scenes, men in tuxedos drinking cocktails, or playful dogs and bouncing beachballs, his compositions tell stories that many can relate to. Jack is that most rare of artists, a man who enjoys the business of art as much as creating the art. From the time he was two years old, when his grandfather spotted him sitting under a tree in their backyard in Armenia trying to draw a leaf, he has been propelled into the art world by both external and internal forces. As an obedient child, he attended the art classes his parents enrolled him in, but also, he later saw a path to success, and a tool to challenge traditional cultural aesthetics. Even in elementary school, he showed entrepreneurial spirit with his art, drawing posters of Power Rangers and selling them to classmates. Today, his work hangs in private, corporate, and institutional collections, and has been featured in many group and solo exhibitions around his current hometown of Los Angeles, CA.
Starting in 2016, Jack decided to take his passion for painting to the next level, and focused on building a body of work for his first solo exhibition, “Turmoil”. Initially influenced by the ubiquitous portrayal of the female image in advertising and social media, his work has gradually evolved into personal introspective subject matter.
Attributing a great deal of this personal style to his Armenian culture, Jack explains how it has impacted his work, by making him a bit defiant and more aggressive. “I always felt even though my parents enrolled me in art classes, they never really expected it to turn into a career because it didn’t seem very practical to make a living with art and design. Growing up in a very traditional Armenian family, their beliefs caused me conflict, and it took a long time before I could finally accept myself as an artist. Being Armenian made it difficult to pursue a creative career because it is not culturally widely accepted career choice. For me, finding my own voice as an individual - knowing who I am as a person - is much more important than identifying with a culture. It does fuel me to be different, as I do not blindly follow tradition and rules just because previous generations have. I use that inner turmoil in my work, which I think has made it stand out, with a voice all my own, yet a recognizable story that resonates with many.“
A graduate of Otis College of Art and Design, Avetisyan has a secondary balancing act to handle, as a successful corporate graphic designer by day. Professionally, he must alternate between the clean structured designs that corporate clients demand, and the loose, expressive style of his personal work. While in school he became interested in Modern and Postmodern art, and began incorporating those ideas into his work, using figurative distortion and other expressionist techniques. Creating fine art that explores realism in his figurative pieces, and the theoretical in his abstract work, one senses the inner turmoil he is trying to dispel.
Most recently, Jack’s work has taken a bit of a turn, still influenced by turmoil, although this time less of his own internal making. Taking a bit of a darker, more aggressive turn, his newer work was influenced by the socio-political and humanitarian issues happening at the time, such as the protests and riots following the George Floyd incident, the political divide over the election, the war between Armenia/Artsakh and Azerbaijan, and of course, COVID. Capturing all that energy, uncertainty, and chaos taking place in the world into his work must have resonated with the public, as he has sold almost all of the work created during that time. “I don’t think there is anything that arouses creativity more than a chaotic situation. Look what inspired Picasso to create Guernica. That confusion - the turbulence - drives my artistic output. I want my work to be thought provoking and kind of chaotic but unified at the same time. There is order in my chaos.” Please visit the ArtExcellence Online Gallery to see or purchase fine art by Jack Avetisyan. Click Here! _________________________________ Author Dale Youngman is an independent art curator, fine art dealer, marketing consultant and art writer, working to facilitate the flow of art in Southern California. She currently consults with artists, galleries, interior designers, non-profits, and a new art platform to advance business for everyone in the art world. She has twice been honored by the LA Mayor’s Office with “Certificates of Recognition“ for her many years of art advocacy. Find Dale at her website.
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“For me, art is about taking my personal experiences, thoughts, and internal monologues, and creating visual adventures that I hope will open up a new world of imagination and experience for the viewer.” 
Becoming more comfortable with his role as an artist, Jack realized upon closer introspection that his muse was, in reality, his internal conflict - what had become an observation on the duality of life, and the continuous drive to self-improvement. Throughout his path, questions began to arise about commitment to oneself, one’s culture and traditions, and how to preserve his Armenian heritage while addressing the perceived social pressure to conform and adapt to American culture. Much of his work speaks to that inner struggle, with paintings succumbing to emotional outbursts, painted instinctually, yet assertively, as Avetisyan delves deeply into the conflict between cultural conformity and individualism. Striving to find the balance while maintaining individuality became part of the artists’ process.
“Every piece of my art is similar to a page out of a sketchbook. I’m not afraid of showing uncertainty and ambiguity in my work. The interesting part of the journey is that soon you start seeing real beauty and appreciation in uncertainty and chaos - which makes great inspiration for creating art.” 
