Woodworker of the Month - Nairi Safaryan - Sponsored by Woodworkers Auction

When you view the work of Nairi Safaryan, many adjectives come to mind such as "amazing", "awesome",
"incredible", "delicate", "unbelievable", and even "reverent", but none of them quite describe the beautiful
art of this craftsman. It must be personally viewed, because it inspires a different feeling in each person.
We feel very blessed to have been allowed to see Nairi's work and we believe you will also even after
simply seeing it in photographs. Let us take you on an adventure into Nairi's world.

In 1958, Nairi was born to two teachers who lived in Shoushy, a pastoral place in Artsakh which is located in the Karabagh region of Armenia. His father was a history teacher and worked in the Ministry of Secondary and Higher Education, while his mother was a teacher of Armenian language and literature. The family was well respected, but political changes and civil unrest caused their home to be turned into a school and the orchards were collectivized. Nairi's Grandfather had to leave the village and visited his children only at great risk to himself. However, Nairi's Father and his siblings all managed to get a higher education.
After the family, including Nairi, his parents, and his two sisters moved to Yerevan in 1973, Nairi continued the quest for higher education. he completed school and entered Yerevan Polytechnic Institute. When Nairi received his diploma as an Electronic Engineer, he was appointed to a position in the Electronical Institute.
The house pictured above is the home of Nairi, his wife, and two children - a boy 14 and a girl 12. Note the grapevines that cover the front of the house. The influence of these vines is evident throughout nearly all of Nairi's carving.

Nairi's passion for woodworking and carving started very early, even though no one else from the family is actively involved in the craft. At two, his favorite toys were a hammer and nails. When someone else picked them up to look at them, Nairi cried until they were given back to him. A family friend felt he was doing a good thing when he gave Nairi a saw when he turned four years old. His parents only had to turn their backs and he sawed the family table.
During his early school years, Nairi took pleasure in making toys for his friends. He also did drawings and chalk sculptures for his class.
To the left is Nairi doing what pleases him most, carving a piece of wood.

The Wedding Cup pictured here combines Nairi's engineering skills with his beautiful art. When you first see this cup, it appears to be one elegantly carved chalice. Looking down from the top, however, you note a curved line running across it's center, and when pressure is applied the chalice comes apart to form two completely independent cups for the bridal couple.
This piece like many others in Nairi's collection features the grape vines and grape leaves. They are so intricately carved that they appear real, only lacking the green and purple colors.
Ancient Armenia was the first to cultivate grape vines in pre-historic times. This depiction of the vines was begun with a small branch of a peach tree from an Armenian orchard. The S shape of the piece was a challenge. Nairi first carved a long S on the face of the wood and then completed the design for each side individually. The base of the cup portrays the gnarled trunk of the vine.
The cup measures 7 3/4" tall and has a 3" diameter. It is unstained with a beeswax finish.

Click on the picture to enlarge the image.

GO TO NAIRI'S HANDCARVED BOXES PAGE