For artist Sarah Mari Shaboyan, a pencil is the perfect tool for self expression.
Through her drawings, she has created her own form of visual communication. (If only we all expressed our experiences with the world through colorful illustrations.) She writes,
“According to me the fundamental thing in visual art is sincerity.
It immediately touches the beholder and inspires confidence in the author.
Reproducing harmony through chaos and dozens of lines is a challenge for me in visual art. Noise and crowds can be seen as harmonic. Colorless and identical buildings can create a rhythm.”
Each illustration is a glimpse into how Shaboyan views the world. Taking inspiration from cafes and city skylines around Armenia, her colorful drawings invite the viewer to immerse themselves in each scene.
Her commissions are open and after a long stint of completing orders, drawing for herself is a breath of fresh air. She says, “I always dedicate a couple of days to drawing “for myself” after a month of full commissions. It’s like to have a chocolate cake after months of workouts.”
Her bold marks and fluid compositions are the product of an artist that is constantly honing their craft. Her “Red Triptych” is a limited edition series completely saturated in color. The warm interior spaces are speckled with cool blues and highlights of yellow.
Even the same space can change depending on the time of day. Check out this side by side of the same room drawn during the day and at night.
She has shown her work throughout Europe and feels that with each new location she exhibits or ships, her reach around the world gets a bit bigger.
“When your works travel around the world, appearing in countries where you yourself have not been and do not even know if you will ever be, you feel "spatial,” more and bigger than your personal self. It is as if you become tiny particles and live simultaneously in all the places where your works are.”
Follow her on Instagram @smshaboyan and check out the prints she has available here. To contact her about a commission, click here.
Shaboyan is also the curator of the Yerevan sketch club, a gathering for artists to draw using models. Check it out here @sktchclub