Guest Interview with Enzie Shahmiri

I have lived abroad for many years and have traveled extensively though Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The impact of this wanderlust can be seen in my love for portraits of people representing all corners of the world. Historic architectural settings and different period designs are both elements I like to use to embellish the settings in which I place the portrait sitters. For me a portrait has to serve more than one purpose, it has to capture the essence of the sitter, hold the viewers interest by providing a short, intriguing narrative and be decorative through the use of rich colors.

Enzie Shahmiri specializes in commissioned portraits and figurative paintings. Her paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibits in California and are in private collections in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. Enzie's work ranges from traditional oil portraits to Orientalist style figurative pieces using a Classical Old Master's painting technique. Her work has been published on numerous occasions and has been featured in two books. She is a member of the Portrait Society of America and many other Fine Art Organizations.

 

MP:  How do you describe yourself as an artist?

 

I am a classically trained artist, which means that I follow a very strict formula, which was taught in the classical ateliers in Rome and Paris during the 19th century. By doing so I am able to create luminous skin tones and an exact likeness of my subjects. I take my work very seriously and aim to please. It is not uncommon for my clients to start to get rather emotional when they set eyes on the painting I have created for them. This is the highest praise I could wish for and it always leaves me feeling accomplished and very grateful.

MP:  Where did you grow up, and how did it influence your artistic life style?

 

I grew up in Vienna, Berlin and Tehran and finally moved to the USA in my early 20's. Having lived in so many different places, I was exposed to different cultures from early on. This has given me a real appreciation for the diversity of people and instilled a love for different cultures. Nothing captivates me more than a human face, weather old or young, pretty or weathered by the elements, each face tells a story that I like to capture on canvas. I have been told that my paintings have soul and I think that's because I like to see more than what is obvious at first glance. When I observe a person, I also look at their stance and try to capture a certain mood they happen to convey at the time.

MP: What made you decide to become an artist and how old were you when you knew?

I have been doodling, drawing and painting ever since I can remember. In high school one of my teachers would confiscate my workbooks, since I always used the empty spaces to draw. I consider her my first serious collector of my work. As an adult I finally decided to get serious and pursue a career in the Arts. Now I am a professional portrait artist, whose work has been in galleries and has been published numerous times.

MP:  Please share your creative process, and what most inspires you.

Inspiration comes from the way light falls on a face, the twinkle in someone's eyes, a smile or a frown. It does not take much for me to run for my camera to capture a mood and want to recreate it on canvas.

I aim not only for an exact likeness, but for a painting that can tell an interesting narrative. This makes for a painting that is asthmatically pleasing and appealing to even those who do not recognize the depicted individual. There has to be a major difference between a good photo and a masterfully created painting.
Here are some of the major differences:

1. Artwork gains value. The more the artist's name is recognized the more valuable your painting will become.
2. Paintings have texture. A skilled artist knows how to apply this texture and make use of light to create an illusion of an almost lifelike representation of the person they are painting.
3. Portraits are heirlooms that are passed down from one generation to another.
4. Longevity - Oil Paintings do not fade or tear as easy as a photograph does
5. A portrait is a very unique and special gift. Once reserved for nobility, owning a portrait is still something for a person with very sophisticated taste. It is a luxury gift that is custom made.
6. Post humus portraits can be created from old photographs to look vibrant and lifelike.

MP: Is there any time of day that you find you are the most creative?  Do you try to schedule studio time or do you prefer to follow the muse? Do you ever get "blocked" and if so, how do you work through it?

My work day starts around 630-7 am when I update my blogs and answer email correspondence. At 9 am it's off to the easel, where I work almost every day as long as I have good light in my studio. My day usually comes to an end around 4 PM, unless I catch a second wind and work though until 7 PM. Of course there are several coffee breaks in between and chores that have to be queezed in as well. I am a multi tasker at heart, so I have a lot of things going on all at once.

There are so many things I want to paint that "painter's block" is usually not an issue. When presented with a new set of challenge, I sometimes get frustrated when certain things don't just fall in place. That's when I usually set that piece aside and work on something entirely different or leave through art books until the answer to the problem presents itself.

MP:  Do you have a favorite medium or technique?

I love to paint in oils, because they are a very forgiving medium and extremely suitable for detail work.

 MP:  Every blog you visit has a follow me on Facebook, Twitter and sometimes more.  Do you use any of these social media’s and if so how do you incorporate them into your art business?

Social networking is very important to my line of work. Portrait artist usually work with portrait brokers and galleries, who act like a middle man between the client and the artist. I use their services as well, but prefer building relationships through my on-line networking. Over time, my readers have become familiar with who I am and how I work and this has led to recommendations and business referrals. When I visit my clients social networking sites I also learn more about their tastes, which in turn allows me to customize the paintings I create to fit their lifestyles and tastes.

MP:  Do you have any upcoming projects/books/events/etc we can look forward to seeing in the future?

I am currently working on a "Santa Claus" series for a book. If all goes well it should be available sometimes in November, 2009

 MP:  Is there anything you would like the art world to know about you that we did not cover in our interview?

Once people placed portrait orders and bought my paintings, I promised myself that I would try to find ways to make my work accessible to anyone who would want a portrait of a loved one. That's how "Post My Widget" and earn referral fees came about. Registered individuals post a widget and a link to my blog or web site on their social networking sites. When a referral is generated and results in a paid commission the referrer is automatically eligible for a 25% cash referral fee paid via PayPal. Portrait prices range from $250 and go up so earning referral fees is an easy and fast way to earning a little extra cash. To find out more visit my blog http://world-market-portraits.blogspot.com/2009/01/earn-free-portrait.html#links/  or email me at [email protected]

To see more of Enzie's Portraits and Fine Art visit her website and blog:

Website: http://www.EnzieShahmiri.com

Blog: http://world-market-portraits.blogspot.com

 

Images provided by Enzie Shahmiri.

 

If you enjoyed our interview with Enzie, please leave a comment here to let her know you appreciate the time she took to share with us.

Comments

[sue pieper]

Enzie, thanks so much for sharing your art and some of the thought process that goes into it-amazing, amazing work! We have a school near here that teaches in the style of the old Masters, they turn out incredible artists, so reading this and seeing your art was particulary interesting. Maybe one day I can go back to school, I'd really love to!