The Alchemist XIII

Yari Ostovany is an Iranian-born American abstract artist. He creates richly textured, layered color field paintings that explore processes of metamorphosis. He has lived in Tehran, Cologne, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Reno. He is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Education Yari Ostovany began his creative studies at age 14, he was first drawn to modern Persian poetry and then the visual arts. He earned his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1995, his BFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and his BA in Art from the University of Nevada, Reno. He has received numerous awards and grants, including the Sierra Arts Endowment Grant, and has taught at the University of Nevada, Reno. Technique The paintings Ostovany creates unfold over time, evolving as layers of pigment are added, washed out, covered over, scraped away, dissolved and then more layers added. With each new phase in the process the composition becomes deeper and more luminous. A new painting often begins as a series of calligraphic gestural marks, what Ostovany calls a gesturaloutburst, inspired by a cognitive/emotional spark. Ostovany then rubs and dilutes the marks, allowing them to meld together with previous marks and layers, coaxing new dimensions of color and texture. The transient nature of the layers becomes embedded into the visual language of the work, evoking a sense of movement and transcendence. Inspiration Natural and mystical processes inspire Ostovany. He is attracted to the alchemistical transformation of formal elements like light, color, texture and space into compositions that are more than the sum of their disparate parts. Informed by a variety of different cultures, Ostovany feels a connection to multiple separate and yet complementary mystical traditions. He looks toward elements of Western and Eastern art, literature, spirituality, poetry and music to create an environment and a mindset conducive to his process, which is connected to Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting. Exhibitions Yari Ostovany has exhibited his work in numerous solo exhibitions in the US, the UK, Canada, Iran, Tajikistan, Italy and Germany. His paintings have also been exhibited internationally in multiple two-person and group shows. Collections Work by Ostovany are included in many private collections around the world, as well as the collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, the Pasargad Bank Museum in Tehran, and the Collection of the Art Department of the University of Nevada, Reno.