Your Neighbor The Man Who Lives And Breathes Art.
November 9th, 2014 - Twin Falls, ID
.
Twin Falls Times-News
.
Your Neighbor: The Man Who Lives and Breathes Art
18 hours ago • TETONA DUNLAP tdunlap@magicvalley.com
When We Met
For Boris “Bill” Garibyan, being an artist isn’t just a profession. It’s how he views the world.
“I never walk just to walk. Some people see a tree. I see the composition,” Garibyan said.
On Friday afternoon, he sat inside his studio behind his home in Twin Falls. The smell of linseed oil filled the garage turned art studio. Oil paintings of Idaho rivers, mountains and streams hung on the walls behind easels holding projects in progress.
Two years ago, Garibyan went back to being a full-time artist after the encouragement of his wife, Rena.
“When your heart is not there, you can tell. There was no time for him to create and think,” Rena said as she sat with her husband in his studio.
Garibyan said sometimes he becomes so focused on his work that he forgets to eat or drink.
“You are in your world. You don’t see or hear anything,” he said.
How You Might Know Him
Garibyan, 60, was born and raised in the former Soviet Union in Baku, Azerbaijan. When he was a young boy, he often sat next to his father, Michael Garibyan, and watched him paint. Michael was an artist and a member of the Soviet Union Art Society. Garibyan’s father was a trained artist since the age of 7 when he started taking classes at a private art academy.
“I liked to be next to him; I don’t know why. There was something in my genes,” Garibyan said.
He added that many of his relatives on his father’s side are artists. Garibyan’s sister was also very talented, he said, but to their father’s dismay she decided to become a librarian instead.
Garibyan said he initially took to sculpting, but eventually switched to painting. He attended a local university in Baku and studied engineering because it was the popular thing to study. However, he still fed his creative side by working part-time for a local art and design association.
Though he studied engineering for three years, Garibyan never finished his degree.
“I said, ‘Enough,’” Garibyan said. “I don’t want to be an engineer. I want to be an artist.’”
In 1991, he and Rena moved to the U.S. after the fall of the Soviet Union. They have two daughters and the couple will soon celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary.
When Garibyan arrived in Twin Falls, he said he worked factory and construction jobs to provide for his family. The family also owned a business called “European Deli” and he worked at the College of Southern Idaho’s Refugee Center. For a long time, his art was not a priority.
But once his children were grown, Garibyan felt the urge to return to his craft grow stronger.
What’s Next For Him
Today, Garibyan spends the majority of his day painting in his studio and outside when the weather is nice. His specialty is landscapes and waterscapes, especially those found in the Magic Valley and Idaho. He is constantly studying the work of famous impressionists and has shelves filled with books about Van Gogh and Monet. His work has won awards at national art competitions and can be viewed in galleries in Idaho and California. Garibyan also teaches classes out of his studio.
“I believe that the ability of humans to express their creativity helps us live a mentally prosperous life and through art I achieve that euphoria,” Garibyan said.
To learn more about Garibyan, visit www.boris-garibyan.fineartamerica.com.