Biography
Tracing RootsMy maternal great-grandfather Armenag Vartanian, a native Armenian, was an artist. His daughter, my grandmother, Mary Louise Vartanian Murphy, was also an artist. For a time, she signed her paintings Zaroui, thinking that Mary Murphy was simply not creative enough. Her daughter Patricia, my mother, graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and became one of the first women apparel buyers in New York City. She expressed her creativity this way and in encouraging me and countless others.
Planting Seeds
I began to draw at age two. My first subject was the fish in my aquarium. I spent countless hours silently drawing and studying the collection of colors in my box of crayons. At age seven, I became enamored with my first camera (a Kodak point-and-shoot), crafting clever compositions with classmates during recess. While a student at North Augusta High School, in South Carolina, I was selected to attend the state Governor’s School for the Arts program and was one of ten students in South Carolina to receive an award at the State Superintendent’s Celebration of the Arts competition. During my senior year, I began to play with a Minolta 35mm camera and with chemicals in the school dark room.
Gaining Strength
At the University of Georgia, in Athens, I majored in Interdisciplinary Studies. With a focus on Scientific Illustration, my classes included a mix of biological sciences and fine arts. Still immersed in realism, my artwork was precise and extremely detailed. Nearing my senior year, two art instructors shaped the future of my art. Bill Paul helped me to understand that compelling art need not represent something you can see, but something you can feel. And Dr. Robert Nix introduced me to the fine art of photography. Using a pinhole camera that I created in class, I cultivated a style for infusing realistic images with a bit of purposeful abstraction.
Seeking Shade and Growing Branches
After college graduation in 1991, I began my career in interactive design and development at A.D.A.M. (Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine) Software (now ADAM.com) in Atlanta. Working with creative software genius Dan Backus, I became intrigued with user interface design — the science and art of enabling users to interact with information naturally. While focusing intensely on my career and clients, I continued to shoot film with my Minolta and sold several prints from images captured on business trips to Japan and New York City. To date, I’ve collected seventeen years of experience in the interactive design and development industry and currently co-own Elemental Interactive and ListenShare with my fabulous business partner, James Harris.
Pruning and Birthing New Life
My first child was born August 30, 2000 at 2:38pm. That very second, my life changed. I was drawn to paint, as time allowed, using bright colors. I focused on physical subject matter that was dear to me — our dogs, the old barn beside our farmhouse, the view from the front porch. I painted outside. Not long after, my mother passed away of cancer on May 17, 2001 at 11:15am. And at that very second, my life changed. I began to paint abstract images. I started to journal.
Last year, I renewed my love for fine art photography with the purchase of a Nikon D80 and a vow to explore and share my art with passion locally and globally. In my hometown, I serve as Vice President for a regional Art Guild (where I received a second place award for my photography in the 2007 Annual Juried Summer Show).
On a global level, I started a blog, Cool People I Know, as an outlet for my personal creative projects, including writing, photography, digital audio interviews, and short digital videos. The blog has received more than 66,500 page views in the past twelve months, and I have been blessed to cultivate relationships with creative souls worldwide. I am a contributing writer/photographer for Shutter Sisters, a global online community of women photographers.
Establishing Roots
I am currently working on a photographic series titled “Project 365: Daily Discoveries,” whereby I shoot and share one image each day with a global community of photography enthusiasts and professionals online at flickr. In Spring 2009, I will host my first solo exhibit at a regional Art Guild featuring this series. I am eager to share my work and actively pursuing exhibition opportunities.