Arleb by Nabad interviews painter Betty Khatchikian who began painting at a very young age, imprinting her vision of the world onto canvases. Khatchikian grew up discovering the world through brushes and colors. After a five-year inspirational soul-searching trip to China, she moved back to Beirut where she worked on turning her hobby into a living by polishing her talent through online workshops with international esteemed artists. A self-taught Lebanese artist, her work with time evolved from classical realism to contemporary. Khatchikian uses oil and charcoal. She paints live portraits, figures, and is known to be seen on Lebanese shores with her easel doing live studies.

Arleb by Nabad – Tell us about your background.

Betty Khatchikian – I started painting at a very young age. Even though I explored different paths of careers, painting was always my refuge. In 2010, I became a full-time painter, I dedicated myself fully into the world of art, explored my style more and pushed my limits.

Arleb by Nabad – What is the experience that has influenced your work the most? 

Betty Khatchikian – Every event in my life played a significant role in influencing my work.

Arleb by Nabad – Which subjects or themes are you working on? 

Betty Khatchikian – Portraits and landscapes.

Arleb by Nabad – What is your creative process like? 

Betty Khatchikian – The creation process often depends on the medium, how fine the details are, even my focus, the available time, and temperament or artistic style. One thing is for certain – you never want to rush the creation stage. In the end, you want what you have created to be as meaningful, inspirational, engaging, and beautiful to others as it is to you. Art often has a far deeper meaning than most people realize.

Arleb by Nabad – What was the impact of the Beirut port explosions (August 4, 2020) on your work as an artist/creative enterprise? 

Betty Khatchikian – Given what has been happening in the country for the past year, between the economic situation, the revolution, Covid-19, all had played parts in freezing the art industry. Fellow artists and myself were affected first hand from all of this. The Beirut Blast didn’t really add much to it, the art industry is on a freeze.

Arleb by Nabad – What are, according to you, the roles of arts and culture in social, economic, environmental or political change? 

Betty Khatchikian – Arts play a major role in affecting and changing life around us. Whether it be on a social, economic, environmental, political, and even educational levels, arts have always played a role in making a turning point in history. Take Banksy as an example, he uses his art to challenge the core fundamentals of society touching the behavioral and capitalist aspects. Other great examples are caricatures and how they shed light on exaggerating the details to reflect certain issues or events, and they have influenced people politically mostly.

Arleb by Nabad – What are, according to you, the main challenges/obstacles facing artists/creative enterprises in Lebanon nowadays?

Betty Khatchikian – I believe challenges and obstacles face artists everywhere in the world, we have to rise above them and keep creating art, art that breaks through all challenges in life.

CHECK OUT BETTY KHATCHIKIAN PROFILE AND ARTWORKS FOR SALE ON ARLEB.