Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus

QUESTION 2.    When a project pushes you outside your comfort zone stylistically or conceptually, what helps you stay confident rather than cautious?

• ANSWER 2.     When a project pushes me outside my comfort zone, I stay confident by trusting my fundamentals and my experience with different styles and materials. I remind myself that experimentation is part of growth. Working traditionally and by hand allows me to respond intuitively, adjust freely, and stay open to discovery rather than becoming cautious or rigid.

Ani Arakelyan
Painter

MEDIUM:    acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, mixed-media

BIO:    Ani Arakelyan is a painter based in Armenia. She works across a wide range of styles and techniques, creating original handmade artworks using acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, and mixed-media. Her practice is rooted in traditional, non-AI art-making, with a strong focus on personal expression, craftsmanship, and versatility. Ani is comfortable working in any genre or visual direction and also creates custom commissions based on individual concepts and requests.

FACEBOOK:      Ani.Arak.Elyan

QUESTION 3.    You’re open to international collaborations and diverse themes. What kind of projects excite you the most right now, and why do they feel like the right next challenge?

• ANSWER 3.     Right now, I am most excited by projects that allow stylistic freedom and meaningful collaboration, especially international ones. I enjoy working with diverse themes and adapting my approach to new cultural or conceptual contexts. These projects feel like the right next challenge because they encourage both artistic growth and deeper communication through art.

QUESTION 1.    Working closely with commissions means responding to someone else’s vision. What questions do you ask early on to translate a client’s idea into something emotionally honest rather than purely illustrative?

• ANSWER 1.    When working on commissions, I begin by asking clients about the feeling they want the artwork to carry rather than only the visual details. I ask what the piece should express emotionally, where it will live, and what personal meaning it holds for them. This helps me move beyond simple illustration and create a painting that feels honest, alive, and connected to the person who commissioned it.

Venice, Oil/Canvas, 30×50

Autumn Lights, Oil/Canvas, 40×50

Winter night, Oil/Canvas, 50×60

All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Ani Arakelyan.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.

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