About Vasken Kalayjian

Finding inspiration through spirituality is what brings my abstract paintings to life.

I am a multi-disciplinary artist; through meditation I delve deep into my psyche. Through my lifelong practices and studies of the spiritual and mystical in nature,

I create large oil paintings, which are a profound exploration of a different, nature-the study of the human mind, higher states of consciousness and our subconscious states. My studies of yoga, Qigong, Sufi teachings, Buddhism and Zen meditation have influenced my work and what emerges as a unique and distinct language in my art.

I also became interested in some of the nature-based practices of Shamanic teachings. I spend extended periods of time in nature, going on classical vision quests consisting of fasting and meditation. Always exploring, growing and learning,

I later arrived at the Work, which was developed by the mystic and philosopher G. I. Gurdjieff. It is these rich and varied explorations of esoteric studies and my deep concern for the preservation of nature, which have fused into my work as we see it today.

“Whatever concepts I cannot express through language all flow through me into my painting. In that moment, it becomes my connection—a lifeline to everything and everybody. The separation between me and everything else is healed; the gap between the past, present and future is bridged. My work is a very personal part of myself. It's where my psyche and spirituality dance together. It transcends time, space and connects to the infinite. I can say that it's a religious experience for me. I try to approach painting as if looking through a mirror, thoroughly ageless and mindless. When objects appear before a mirror, they are shown as beautiful or ugly. Everything is revealed as it is. There is no discriminating mind or self-consciousness on the part of the mirror. If the object disappears, the mirror lets it, with no traces left behind.”