Bio
Nairi Safaryan’s uncanny eye for beauty, never failing imagination, limitless patience and innate artistry have catapulted this Armenian woodcarver and sculptor onto the fine arts stage, where his masterful works are exhibited in many museums and private collections around the world. Each stunning piece is caved to the limits of the wood’s capacity by combining technical knowledge with artistic talent. Digging several layers deep, his expert hands achieve extraordinary levels of refinement that allow delicate leaves and petals to be paper thin, and fine tendril feather light and sinewy.

Nairi Safaryan was born in 1958 in the town of Shushi located in the Artsakh region of Armenia. Nairi’s childhood is filled with memories of carving wooden toys, drawing and creating chalk sculptures. In 1973 he moved with his family to Yerevan. It was there that he attended Yerevan Polytechnic Institute and received his degree in engineering. Shortly after graduation he took a promising position with a prestigious company as an engineer. Nairi began his life as an engineer.

Even with his duties at work Nairi always found time for his carving. In 1987 Nairi Safaryan became a member of the Art Fund. Nairi Safaryan was working day and night combining his technical knowledge with his artistic talent. He could envision the finished design for his next piece. He began carving to the limits of the wood’s strength, achieving extraordinary levels of thinness and refinement of the material. Safaryan begun to make a name for himself in the local art world garnering much respect and appreciation for his work from both his peers and local art critics.

In 1996, after being invited to participate in two exhibitions at the Yerevan Folk Art Museum, Safaryan was honored with the title of Folk Master. This honor was bestowed on him not only because he had reached the level of Master Woodcarver, but because Safaryan’s work had a special charm which always showed his deep devotion to his roots and a great understanding of his national heritage.

Today, as a world-class artist working in wood, Nairi Safaryan’s carvings can be found in many museums and private collections around the world.

Awards
2014 1st Place Winner, Northwest Woodworkers Gallery
2013 Finalist, NICHE Awards Magazine
2013 Editor's Choice, Readers' Choice- Woodworking Excellence Awards, Popular Woodworking Magazine
2012 Stylized Carving Contest Winner, Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine
2011 Gil Borgos Originality Award, Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, CA
2010 The Grand Prize Winner, Carving Artistry Contest sponsored by PFEIL & Woodcraft Magazine
2009 Best of Show, California Carvers Guild
2009 Two First Places, Woodcarving Show, Romana Country Carvers, San Jacinto, CA
2009 Four Entries -4 1st Places, Orange County Carvers Show & Competition, Tustin, CA
2002 Best of the Best, 5th Annual Cambria Wood Show, Cambria, California
2002 People’s Choice Award, Smoky Hollow Chapter of CCG, Glendale, California
2002 Best of Show and First Place, Smoky Hollow Chapter of CCG, Glendale, California

Exhibitions
2014 Father and Daughter Safaryan Exhibition, Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles, Glendale, CA
2014 NICHE Awards Finalist Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014 Turned Wood - Small Treasures Spring 2014, del Mano Gallery
2013 Small Treasures II, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Turned and Sculpted Wood 2013, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles
2012 Safaryan: A Father and Daughter Exhibition, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2011 SOFA Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition Chicago, Illinois
2011 Inside & Outside The Box, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2011 Turned Wood – Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2011 New Perspectives In Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2011 Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, California
2011 Group Exhibition, Silvana Gallery, Glendale, California
2011 Recycling Trees, Glendale Woodturners Guild, Glendale, CA
2011 Fall Salon, Glendale Art Association, Glendale, California
2011 Solo Exhibition, Silvana Gallery, Glendale, California
2010 Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens, Beverly Hills, California
2010 Brentwood Art Show, Brentwood, California
2009 Orange County Carvers Show and Competition, Tustin, California
2009 Santa Anita/Smoky Hollow Show, Arcadia, California
2009 Woodcarving Show, Romana Country Carvers, San Jacinto, CA
2008 Del Mano Gallery of Contemporary Crafts, Los Angeles, California
2007 Personal Exhibition, Naregatsi Art Center, Yerevan, Armenia
2006 Museum of Folk Art, Yerevan, Armenia
2006 Opening of Year of Armenia in Russia, Moscow, Russia
2005 International Exhibition, Kazan Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
2002 California’s “Spirit of Wood”, California State Fair, Sacramento, California
2002 5th Annual Cambria Wood Show, Cambria, California
2002 Wood Fair 2002, College of the Redwoods, Eureka, California
2002 International Woodworking Symposium, Provo, Utah
2002 Smoky Hollow Chapter of CCG, in La Crescenta Park, Glendale, California
2002 Clark County Fair, Logandale, Nevada
1999 Taminah Gallery, Park City, Utah
1996 Folk Art Museum, Yerevan, Armenia