CareerHighlights

"Career Highlights"

This site features the most treasured and exciting events of my painting career. They all took place in the '70's when I was much younger and intensely determined to "make it". And I did make it, not solely on my own, but with the training and encouragement of my instructor, Mr. Guy Pennisi, the unfailing support of my family, and of course, my Heavenly Father. It is to Him that I give the honor and glory for bestowing upon me the talent and the love of my craft.

And now I invite you to take a little trip with me down memory lane........

Fast approaching was the 41st anniversary of the Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church, and much to my amazement I was asked to paint the portraits of not only its Patriarch, Catholicos Vasken 1, but also the church's Arch-deacon, Mr. Kaching Balian. The 30x36 portrait was to be hung in the foyer of the church in Lawrence, MA. The 20x24 portrait of Mr. Balian was intended to be a surprise. My first reaction was total shock. Why was I, practically still a novice, asked to take on such a monumental task? At first, waves of doubt and fear consumed me as I viewed both pictures. Not a chance, I thought, until I began puting paint to the canvas. Miraculously, they were both completed in about a month's time. On Sunday, the 29th of Octorber, 1972, both paintings were unveiled at a banquet at the posh Bishop's Restaurant in Lawrence. There were over 250 people in attendance. There I stood on stage, shaking like a leaf, before my family, my teacher and the church officials. while the paintings were unveiled. The audience rose, giving a thunderous applause, while a dozen red roses were placed in my arms. I never dreamed that anything could match that moment until..........

Late in 1973, I went to see the manager of the Showcase Cinemas in North Andover, MA. At the time, that particular cinema was a wonderful place for local artists to display and sell their paintings. But I had a different idea. I wanted to advertise my portrait painting ability by painting a few Academy Award winning movie stars as the appeared in their respective roles. I wasn't really confident as how my proposal was going to be received.. until the manager informed me that a new and much larger Showcase Cinemas was being constructed in Woburn, MA. The building was near completion and would I like to display my Academy Award winners there? I jumped at the invitation..until he told me he needed 14 of them. That was the good news. The bad news was that I had 14 days to paint them.

Fifteen days later, on October 10, 1973, dressed in a formal gown, and with Mr. Pennisi, my teacher, helping me, we began hanging the portraits on the walls. The job was completed just before the doors officially opened. The portraits consisted of: Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable from "It Happened One Night", Vivien Leigh from "Gone With The Wind", Ray Milland from "Lost Weekend", Greer Garson from "Mrs. Miniver", Jose Ferrer from "Cyrano De Bergerac", Judy Holliday from "Born Yesterday", Ernest Borgnine from "Marty", Jayne Wyman from "Johnny Belinda", Greagory Peck from "To Kill A Mockingbird", Elizabeth Taylor from "Butterfield 8", John Wayne from "True Grit", Katherine Hepburn from "Lion In Winter", Barbra Streisand from "Funny Girl", and Marlon Brando from "The Godfather".

From Woburn, the paintings then traveled to Showcase Cinemas in Brookline, MA, Worcester, Springfield, Lawrence, Orange and Hartford, CT.

On May 17, 1974, the Merrimack Valley Art Association conducted an Art Festival on the Campagnone Memorial Common, which is located in Lawrence, MA. Although I was the Treasurer of the Association, this was the first time I would participate in the festival and I wanted my entry to be "special". I wasn't concerned abut the judging. I simply wanted to paint a portrait that would stand out in the crowd. At the time, I was a 32 year-old "new" student a Merrimack College. On my way to class one day, I came upon a brochure that announced several up-and-coming Arthur Fiedler concerts to be held at the college. The first would be in June. Arthur Fiedler's picture was on the cover of that brochure. There it was...the picture I had been looking for.

Hundreds of painings were displayed at the festival. Along with the portrait of Arthur Fiedler, I had entered a painting of a collie dog. The judges made their rounds and selected the winner. There was a prticular prize that was voted on by the public. It was called the Popular Prize. Much to my amazement, my painting of the collie dog took Third Prize. But the highlight of the show was when the public voted my portrait of Arthur Fiedler as their favorite. The press covered the show. Much to my surprise, a lady from The Women's Guild of Merrimack College was there. She approached me and asked if the Guild could borrow the painting when Mr. Fiedler came to the college in June. I delivered the painting to her and thought nothing more about it. The day of the concert, I received a telephone call from Mr. Fiedler himself. He wanted to buy the painting. I refused his purchase offer, and instead, I gave it to him. All I asked in return was an autographed photo of him for my portfolio. I received the hand-drawn, autographed picture a few days later. He also sent me two letters thanking me for the painting.

From that day on, the Fiedler portrait made the rounds. It appeared on stage with him in October when the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic had its next concert. From there it was on display at Symphony Hall in Boston. When Arthur Fiedler died in 1979, Good Morning America paid a tribute to him. As the camera panned his memorabelia, there was my portrait of him.

Today, that painting can be viewed, along with his memorabelia, in the Arthur Fiedler Reading Room of the Mugar Memorial Library on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston.

*Note: Please excuse the poor quality of the photographs. Somehow the original photos, taken 28 years ago cannot be found. These were reproduced from old negatives.

Above is a picture of the hand-drawn, autographed picture that Mr. Fiedler sent me. To the right is an article about me and my Big Day! I was totally surprised when Mary Fitzgerald, a staff reporter with the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, telephoned me for an interview and asked if I would send her my picture.

This is a picture of my painting called "Moonlight On The Beach". It's a very dark painting....all done in luminous glazes. I lightened the picture as much as I could to show the details. This painting took the Popular Prize at the Merrimack Valley Art Association's Art Festival in 1975. It now hangs in the law office of my brother-in-law, Atty. Kachadoor Naroian.

This is a painting of my son, Ray, at the age of five. It won for me my third Popular Prize in 1976. Along with a ribbon, I was presented with the Merrimack Valley Bank Award....which was a beautiful silver bowl. The painting is part of my personal collection. Needless to say, Ray was always my favorite subject to paint.

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