Edman O'Aivazian

I was born in Teheran in 1931, into an Armenian family, and started painting at the age of 13. As a young artist I regularly participated in group exhibitions and one-man shows, exploring and recording a vast country on canvas. My paintings endeavoured to capture the richness of cultures, traditions and the architecture of past and present. My works culminated in the publication of "˜An Armenian Village' in 1984.
From an early age, my travels influenced my outlook on art, and in particular classical Rome with its awe-inspiring power led to a series of church murals, including "˜The Last Supper' and "˜The Creation'. In 1971 I moved to London via Rome, where I studied at the Academy of Arts. I have painted in oils, acrylic and watercolour.
In my formative years I studied Persian art at Isfahan, a cradle of Islamic art and design, and designed a 250 metre calligraphy frieze, which was installed in Riyadh Airport in 1985. More recently I was commissioned to design a 50-metre mural for the King Abdulaziz National Museum, Riyadh.
My work is founded on the need to understand nature though the abstraction of form, light and colour. Distilling this essence, I have applied my artistic talents to capturing the diverse scenery of rivers in...