about

I was born an only child. As a very introspective child, I was often in my room playing silently with my toys and creating little worlds to call my own. At times, I would convert my whole room into far away lands with little bridges from my bed to my shelves, elevator platforms that worked with pulleys and hot air balloons with little baskets attached to my ceiling. Other days, my mother would asked me to draw, paint, or to tell her stories; sometimes I would sing these stories, making up everything as I went along. She told me that she had always wanted me to be an artist so she kept all of my artwork. The first of my documented drawings were of an apple, a bee, and a portrait of my father. My mother explained that we would often visit my grandfather’s farm where she had once been stung by a bee. She didn’t recall pointing the bees out to me but knew they were around for me to explore. These days, bees often find their way into my artwork, and I always think of those first drawings.

I was often shy but my shyness was never an issue at the library, where I would spend most of my free time. I would check out as many books as my arms could carry and read them as fast as I could. People assumed that I had been placed into speed reading classes, but no, I was just really smart. It also helped that I was always hungry for new material. It didn’t matter if I was reading and learning for school or for myself.

When I started middle school my interests in art and my hunger for education grew exponentially. Each year I would sign up for all of the art classes that were offered. I didn’t know it then but I was very lucky to have attended such a privileged middle school where I had the opportunity to take multiple art classes. In 8th grade, I signed up for the only art class left that I had not already taken, Advanced Art, and my teacher suggested that I apply to an art magnet program for high school called The North East School of the Arts. The next four years of my life were packed with an intense visual arts program where my technical skills grew daily, and where I was constantly surrounded by artists. I learned all of the basics: life drawing, composition, problem solving, painting, art history, sculpture, photography, and more. I was creating realistic figure drawings, personally driven paintings, and experimenting with as many media as possible. This intensive education allowed me to skip most art college’s core programs targeted at freshmen. I also already knew what I wanted to major in; illustration!

I moved around, attended two different art schools, and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in illustration with honors. Yep, still smart. Now days, I live in Austin, Texas with this boy named David and this boy cat named Mojito, creating illustrations and designs for book covers, children’s art, creative portraits, and much much more.

faq

1. Why do you like bees?

I like bees that have fuzzy butts. I also think their lives are fascinating and magical.

2. What tools do you use for your illustrations?

Adobe Photoshop CS3, Wacom Graphire3 tablet, Canon Digital camera - Rebel XTi, Prisma Color pencils, Bristol board paper, acrylic paint, watercolor paint.

3. How do you pronounce your last name, and where is it from?

“va-zee-ri”, it is an Iranian last name.

4. What is your favorite fruit?

Lemons, I love all things sour and delicious (as depicted by David on his blog).

5. What are your personality traits?

My five dominant themes (according to The Gallup Organization’s Clifton StrengthsFinder) of talent are:
Individualization: People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Maximizer: People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Strategic: People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Learner: People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

Achiever: People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

And, my personality type is ENTJ: “ENTJs are natural born leaders. They live in a world of possibilities where they see all sorts challenges to be surmounted, and they want to be the ones responsible for surmounting them. They have a drive for leadership, which is well-served by their quickness to grasp complexities, their ability to absorb a large amount of impersonal information, and their quick and decisive judgments.”
- Portrait of an ENTJ (The Personality Page)