Nika Arminé
bio
An Armenian-born artist currently working out of Los Angeles, Nika Arminé is one of those rare and enviable souls who heard her life’s calling at a very early age. At just four years old, she sketched an impromptu portrait of her father while her parents were busy entertaining friends.
An unassuming child, Arminé thought little of her drawing and soon went about her play. The party came to a halt however, when the adult guests in the room - several of whom were artists themselves - saw and were captivated by the portrait. The young girl was a naturally-gifted artist. Arminé remembers this day well, as it marked the beginning of her lifelong artistic journey.
Following several years and shows as a young creative, Arminé’s formal art education began at age fourteen at the Terlemezian College of Fine Arts in Yerevan, Armenia.
Arminé put on her first solo exhibition when she was fifteen years old, and many more soon followed, including throughout Armenia, in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, Berlin and London, just to name a few.
In 1997, she was invited to Edgar Chahine’s museum in Orne, France for a summer residency. There, Arminé studied the master’s etching techniques while also working on two forthcoming solo exhibitions of her own.
She then moved to a Parisian studio where she continued working on her exhibitions. Her series of oil paintings titled “The Fifth Element” were created during that time and shown in May of 1998 in Paris. A second exhibition in Honfleur soon followed, in August of the same year. The strength and recognition of these showings marked the beginning of her career as a professional artist.
From the beginning of her career, Arminé displayed an interest in subject matter of every kind, and demonstrated a great stylistic versatility that enabled her to work in several styles at once.
In 2000, soon after receiving her Masters of Fine Arts degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan, Arminé moved to Los Angeles where she continues her creative work. This has included numerous paintings and series, including “What it Takes”, “Caliber” and “Colors and Nature of Artsakh”.
Arminé uses of a broad range of painting and drawing techniques, a variety of styles in her work - all combined to harmonious effect. Her versatility and openness to experimentation are part of what makes her creative output so appealing and compelling.
Arminé’s work has received numerous awards and certificates of recognition, and her art can be found in both public and private collections around the world. Her artistic expression, growth and training continues, and Arminé plans on maintaining that momentum for many years to come, grateful for the opportunity to share her creativity with the world.
artist statement
I have neither rules nor routine when I paint. There is no style that I label my art with. Every painting brings its own environment and structure. The technique is dictated by subject matter and my mood and it gives me the freedom in creating what I’m willing to express when I don't attach myself to a particular niche. I don’t think about technique or the rules that it brings when I work, and that's one of the reasons why I incorporate a lot of different styles in my paintings. I think about life, things that move me and I am letting it all go where it supposed to be.
Having said that...
I’m glad that I got an academic art education from very early age on and I believe in classical artistic values - standards of beauty, study of nature and the human figure. Those are the foundations that ground me and help me to easily integrate the emerging new technological tools into my work.
Nika Arminé