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| Local gallery features mosaics,
paintings of dynamic art duo By SABRINA CRAWFORD Independent Newspapers SAN
MATEO - You enter the Knorr Gallery at 253 B St. and bright orange, yellow and
blue mystical mosaics of mermaids and fairies immediately engulf and overwhelm
your senses. Interwoven with the massive Mission-style tile works are soft, sensuous
cityscapes painted in murky auburn, smudged charcoal and wavy blues. At first it seems like most small gallery exhibits - the work of two artists shown side- by-side for any number of random reasons. But within moments, the deep,- visceral connection between the work and lives of Russian mosaic master Galust Orduyan and his son Greg becomes obvious. "It's like we're one artist," says Galust as he uncorks a bottle of Moldavian wine. The wine is a tribute to their Armenian heritage, their Russian homeland and their strong sense of family. "You should not drink wine to be happy," Galust says in a broken Russian accent, raising his glass high, "you should be happy first in order to drink the wine." It's a mantra for his art and his life, which he will tell you are one and the same, So it's no surprise that his son is also an artist. A ruddy-cheeked, boisterous patriarch from the former Soviet Union with an almost childlike air of mischief about him, Galust giddily relays his family history, folklore traditions and memories of being a hippie in the '60s - all of which inspire his work. "We are a family of artists and educators," says Galust. "In Russian, we are called 'bringers of light. " The Orduyan light-bearing legacy began in the former Soviet - countryside with Galust's grand- father, a builder of wine vats, and continued with his father who planted a lush public garden of fruits and flowers. The blend of traditional ceramic tiles with coins, glass, beads and other found objects to pay homage to the family's gardens and vineyards also creates a 3-D effect that draws viewers into a romantic, fantastical world. "My paintings aren't literal. They're tales of imagination, a 7 for life," says the artist, who quotes the wisdom of Joseph Campbell, The Torah and New York City cabbies with equal ease. Perhaps it's no surprise that Galust, who comes from a land |
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where over 100 religions are practiced, draws on eastern philosophy, Egyptian
art, Russian lore and American pop iconography to create his alternate universe - a dazzling mythic landscape of tightrope walkers, pirates, floating Buddhas and flying fire- birds. Raised in one of the most turbulent regions in the world, Galust has a keen appreciation for the power of humor and light. "I could create dark art, but I have no right to bring my darkness into the heart of another - so I give humor and jokes," he says, - dancing a jig and rumbling with a full-belly laugh. Having traveled the rajecto- ry of so many American im- migrants, Galust and his son are New Yorkers at heart. "New York is filled with youth with hope in their eyes," Galust says. "There's a feeling like 'I'm going to take a piece of this great city and make it mine.' Generation after generation they come with their dreams, and New York City has the same face." The timeless wonder of immigrants arriving in New York is perfectly captured in his son's -pain of majestic skyscrapers, bustling docks and leaves falling in Central Park. "My paintings are almost like a journal. They're the best expression of how I experi-enced that time," says Greg, whose tranquil demeanor and towering, stoutly athletic build are a sharp contrast to his father. So close to home are the paintings that Greg, who arrived in New York at 20 and dove into the Chelsea art scene, doesn't want to part with them. The 31-year-old amateur boxer shares his father's passion and heritage, but has his own distinct style and approach. Greg, a Moscow-trained painter, illustrator and animator who now teaches video-game creation at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, has an eye like his father's for the beauty and mystery of the world, and a knack for capturing its distilled essence in his artwork. |
"We go through life without realizing how beautiful
every day things are," he says. Greg wants to reawaken that beauty in viewers.
Sabrina Crawford can be reached at 652-6782.
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