Kazem Gharai Portrait of Feelings - Persian Tribune

Kaz Gharai is an artist whose work spans a wide range of techniques. He is known in the field of graphic design, his portfolio containing movie posters, catalogues, book covers, brochures and brand identities. But his skill set is also comprised of a variety of painting styles, including acrylic, watercolour, oil paint and airbrush. Not surprising, considering his career in art began 55 years ago.

Born Kazem Gharai in Tehran, Iran in 1946, his style of art and design developed the course of three important periods in his life. The first of these was during his school days, where he began to teach himself how to draw and paint. Though he received no formal training during this time, he was the recipient of art awards, an early indication of natural talent. His second developmental period came when he attended Tehran University, studying visual arts and graphic design. Graduating with a B.A in 1976, he now possessed knowledge of the great international artists that came before him, such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet. It was this knowledge that led him to pursue impressionism as his dominant artwork style. Though this was his initial stylistic preference, many years experience as an artist has led Gharai to employ a variety of other styles, such as realism, surrealism and abstract. The third period of his development came after his graduation. He began to work professionally as an artist and had his work exhibited at several art galleries in Tehran, which was a huge success.

Since those early days exhibiting in Tehran, Gharai?s work has been featured in many festivals, galleries, museums
and art shows internationally. These include the Beijing International Art Expo (2006-2008), and the Art and Heart Studio in Italy (2006) where he received accolades for his work. More recently, Gharai is currently preparing to participate in the 2013 Toronto International Art Expo, with Toronto Life magazine covering two of his pieces that will be exhibited. In a moment of pride for the Persian community, Gharai will be the only Iranian Canadian participating in the Expo. In addition to exhibiting his own work, Gharai is a believer in passing on knowledge and experience to the next generation. Going above and beyond expectations, Gharai has also been a dedicated teacher for over three decades.

But what goes into a Kaz Gharai painting? For him, the first step is sketching. Once this is done, he then applies colours and texture to a canvas. He evokes feeling through the use of different colour schemes, contrasting vibrant, sharp colours with dull or cold colours. He will also texturize his painting when he feels it will make the work more dramatic. All of this combined seems to create an almost musical effect in his work. By portraying his own feelings on the canvas, there is a thematic variation in his artwork. Some of his inspiration comes from current social and cultural issues, which are points of interest for him. By considering things from a different point of view he can convey power, war, beauty, freedom, or revenge in a unique way, though this does occasionally prove to be challenging.

Kaz Gharai lives and works in Toronto. His work
is represented by the McCaul Art Gallery.

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Source: http://www.persiantribune.ca/715/art/kazem-gharai-portrait-of-feelings

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