Gayane Avetisyan

I was born in Armenia, a country with a rich tradition of the arts. It is in this environment of a broad range of cultural and historical legacies that I spent my formative years. I was fortunate to study as a child among well-known artists working and living in Armenia.

Outside of school, I trained at the National Centre for Fine Arts, specializing in painting, print making and pottery. By the 5me I graduated in 1994, I was teaching graphic arts and monotype at an innovative and experimental school launched in Armenia at the 5me of its independence.

I have since continued my education in Armenia and abroad. I attended the Liberal Arts College in Yerevan with a focus on Art History and Philosophy. In 1999 I was awarded an Aschberg scholarship for visual artists from the Austrian Federal Chancellery which permited me to attend artist in residence program in Vienna and hold my first solo exhibit at the Jütner Gallery.

In 2010, I moved to the country of Georgia where I was fortunate to discover and study cloisonné enamelling with local masters. Since then, I have followed my passion for this technique by attending specialized workshops throughout the United States. I’ve been trained by enamel artists like Linda Dart and Merry-Lee Rae.

Starting in 2012, I spent four years living in Haiti where a vibrant culture inspired me to embrace more ethnicity, light and character in my works. I was also able to return to one of my passions: teaching. I taught cloisonné and alternative enamelling techniques and pottery to Haitians and the diverse expatriate community.

Throughout my career I have participated in group exhibitions and as a solo artist in the United States and Europe. I have exhibited ceramics, monotypes, oil paintings and conceptual installation works.

I currently live and create in Montreal. I was enrolled in continuing education program at Ecole de Joaillerie in Montreal where I learned traditional and contemporary art jewelry techniques.