Meet Haro Istamboulian | Hyper-realistic Oil Painter & Resin Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haro Istamboulian and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haro, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I became a Jack-of-all-trades because I had no other choice. I grew up in a lower-middle class household so I had to do everything myself by learning it and executing it. I learned automotive work because the car would break down. That’s life. I learned plumbing because plumbing problems would arise at home. That’s life. My success became rooted in my experiences and my experiences made me who I am today.
I’m completely self-taught as I’ve never attended any art classes or schooling for oil painting or resin work. I’m not against going to school but I wish to be an example for anyone who may feel hopeless because they can’t afford school or can’t get accepted to a school they wanted to attend.
But I’m not talking about the career aspect of it all. I’m talking about obtaining a certain skill level you wish to reach. It’s possible if you put the work in. All it takes is practice, patience, and knowledge. The knowledge part can come from online videos and Googling as everything does these days. Back in my day, it was going to the library with the bus.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My work has a two-pronged approach. I’m a resin artist and an oil painter so I launched my business combining the two. The painting part has a weird story to it. I’m known as the “Colorblind Painter”. I can’t see browns/greens/beiges very well. So about fifteen years ago, I opted to paint only in black and white. And what’s wrong with that? If you pay close attention, you’ll see that black & white photos and film will have a sharper look than colored ones. Ever notice how films from the 1940s and 1950s look sharper than the ones from the 1970s and 80s? Black & white stands out more. Most people don’t know that between the colors black and white, there are more than 500 different shades of grey. For instance, take a look at Ruth Orkin’s amazing photo ‘An American Girl in Italy’. It wouldn’t look nearly as powerful if it was to be in color.
I fell in love with portrait painting and slowly began getting obsessed with fine details. From there, I began working in hyper-realism where paintings are photo-realistic. As not to limit myself too much, I recently launched what I call ‘The Silhouette Series’, which has blues and yellows with silhouettes over them, but my oil paintings are still mainly in black & white.
The second approach is resin work. I began casting resin in 2012. Back then, they were very small trinkets and plaques. As I got better and got the necessary equipment, I began to build custom coffee tables and clocks. Since then, I’ve built a resin-top coffee table with a percussion cymbal encased in it for a client who’s a drummer, and another table with a 20-lb slab of resin that has bullet casings within it for an Army veteran. Clients can have anything they wish encased within the resin. The list is endless and anything can be made if you imagine it.
We never know where life will take us. I launched this business with an “all in” mindset and knew that it was risky. I transformed my tiny studio apartment into a fully functional art studio and began to grind away. Literally threw away my bed and furniture. I never knew that I’d end up having my paintings in 13 States and two countries. One of my paintings is currently hanging on the wall of a gallery in Budapest, Hungary. I’ve never traveled in my life and it’s such a privilege seeing my canvases travel around the world. Never limit your thinking or else your imagination will suffer. And if your imagination suffers, your reality will follow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
How come the whole world talks about Los Angeles? The beach? There are beaches in Washington and Oregon, too. There is a feeling in Los Angeles like no other. It’s great for the spirit if you go to the right places. And one place that most people don’t know about is somewhere called Lake Shrine in Malibu. Lake Shrine was built by a Yogi named Paramahansa Yogananda through his organization called The Self-Realization Fellowship. I didn’t know about Lake Shrine until I started following the teachings of Yogananda. Yogananda was known for bringing Kriya Yoga to the West. Lake Shrine was built to welcome anyone and everyone, no matter what race, color, gender or religion (the entrance even displays every religion’s logo). It has a massive pond which ducks frequently migrate to and beautiful waterfalls and greenery where you can walk around, meditate, release all your tension, and enjoy yourself or your company. Some of Gandhi’s ashes are even located there.
Since Lake Shrine is located near the end of Sunset Blvd and PCH, you can then go to Santa Monica Beach from there or go to any of the amazing restaurants off of Wilshire Blvd. One of the best areas to watch the sunset is from the Santa Monica Pier, where you can finish off your day. For anyone who visits from out of town, this entire 10-mile radius is the most typical stuff for which L.A. is known for. It’s beautiful and will uplift anyone’s mood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One of my greatest friends and artistic companions was an artist named Tina St Claire. Tina lost her battle with cancer at the age of 31 and I feel as though her small circle of fellow artists carried the torch for her. Tina taught me a lot about art but I’m not talking about the skill. I’m talking about the way art involves every aspect of life. For the longest time, Tina was shy in showing her work to the world. But when she felt that she was finally ready to, it was like an explosion of inspiration. Back when she didn’t even know about the cancer in her body, she booked a month-long trip to see Europe with barely anything but a backpack. She truly lived every day to the fullest. She returned as if she left her cocoon there. She began to be featured in art books and magazines and filled California with her murals which are still up to this day. She taught me that one should always face any fears or doubts that they may have. There’s no regret in that. On the other side of fear is the thing you want. It’s all growth. It’s only when we take a quick look back that we realize how far we’ve come. Her smile filled my heart and her life’s work filled my mind.

Website: https://www.whoisharo.com

Instagram: @whoisharo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haro-istamboulian-42303827b

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071802061162

Image Credits
Haro Istamboulian