Digital art | Familiar grounds

"Wh

en I was six, my dad would spill a bit of surj  (coffee) so I could drink it from the saucer and join in on family gatherings. When I was 12, I earned my first badge toward being a 'kes knik' (half-woman) when I independently brewed and served a jezveh. Since then, countless memories with friends, family, and community have centered around this tradition. Whether boiling on a stovetop, coals from a manghal (barbeque), wood from a fire pit, or a coil of a hot plate, moments that connected me to my culture and shaped my identity were always accompanied or followed by a cup of Armenian coffee."

Grounded

"On a recent trip to Armenia, a painting style I saw as I walked down a street at [the open-air market of] Vernissage reminded me of the embroidered tapestries or 'dzerki gortz' works my aunts, mom, and grandma had done when they were younger. Using an Armenian-made photo-editing tool I discovered on the same trip, I was inspired and able to adapt that style to a still-life subject that I personally connect to—surj!"