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#Meettheartist
Meet Armando Zirakzadeh
"When people view my work, I want to reveal myself to them.  First, I want them to begin to understand me, and then I hope they can find a relationship between their lives and mine."

  
Tell us your artist story, some biographical info, when did you decide to be an artist? Why do you make art? Where did you study? Etc.

 My name is Armando Zirakzadeh.  I was born in Tehran, Iran in 1955 to an Iranian father and a Guatemalan mother. My family moved to Boulder, Colorado when I was 6 months old; I became a citizen at the age of 9. I have been married since 1979 and have two children.

I studied art at Colorado State University, where I received my BFA in printmaking in 1981.  In 1984 I started Master Screen Art Silkscreening, which I ran until 1990, when I switched to teaching art for a career.  I taught art from 1990-2012 in the Boulder Valley School District, and began at Bird Studios printmaking upon my retirement.   I have exhibited in shows both locally, nationally and internationally since 2012, and was part of the Artnauts Global Artist’s Collective from 2012-2019.
I am excited to have opportunities to continue to work on and develop my printmaking skills both now and in the future.

What do you want people to walk away with after experiencing your work?

 When people view my work, I want to reveal myself to them.  First, I want them to begin to understand me, and then I hope they can find a relationship between their lives and mine.
This contact between the artist and audience is paramount to the artistic process.  If one person questions their experiences or beliefs, or is enlightened in any way, my work has been worthwhile.

What influences your work? Why?
I am influenced by the world around me and sharing my personal view of the world with my audience.  As a printmaker I start with black and white, and soon begin developing ways of combining multiple printmaking techniques to expand my palette. Presently I am using intaglio techniques on layered paper to create textures and colors.  The exploration of printmaking techniques excites me and keeps my work fresh.

What does it mean to you to participate in Hera an exhibiting artist for the In God We Trust exhibition?
The “In God We Trust” exhibition allows me to examine my personal spirituality.  The subject matter requires honesty because you can not lie to yourself or to God.  The relationship between my Gid and myself is extremely important to my life.  I was raised as a Catholic, my father was a Muslim, and my wife is a Protestant pastor’s daughter.  This allowed me to explore the relationships of multiple religions in America.




To view more of Armando's work visit his website http://fatbirdstudios.net/index.html

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