Homegrown will be a weekly post highlighting our Holiday Arts Tour artists. NCLAC would like to celebrate the artists living in our own backyard whether they were raised here, relocated, or just like to visit enough to call Ruston home. This years Holiday Arts Tour will be November 18, 19, & 20th. Watch here for more information and tour locations. This weeks post will be about Hooshang Khorasani long time tour participant and NCLAC member.
ABOUT HOOSHANG
Hooshang is an internationally exhibited artist who maintains working studios inRuston,LA, andOrange County,CA. His 
background includes a BFA in painting, plus 12 years as a graphic designer and award-winning illustrator. He has worked as a self-employed artist inAmericaandSpainsince 1984. His paintings are displayed in private collections across Europe and theU.S.as well as in several corporate collections. They are included in the permanent collection of the Lake Eustis Museum of Art.
Hooshang's work reflects a bold contemporary style, with hues alternating between muted and highly energized. His paintings are in acrylic and mixed media, and range from brushwork to washes to work with a palette knife. He paints on canvas and paper.
This award-winning painter (multiple Best of Show honors) has been featured in numerous exhibits, galleries and museums. For example, he was spotlighted in solo exhibitions at Church Street Gallery,Rockport,TX;Taylor's Contemporanea Fine Arts,Hot Springs,AR; Keathley University Center Gallery,MiddleTennesseeStateUniversity,Murfreesboro; andUniversityCenterArtGallery, LSU-Shreveport. Current affiliations include The Cottage Gallery inLaguna Beach,CA, and Xanadu Gallery inScottsdale,AZ.His work has been shown at such museums as theYellowstoneArt Museum,Billings,MT; Museum of Science & Industry,Tampa,FL; Fort Collins (CO)Museum; and Alexandria (LA)MuseumofArt.
His works have also been featured in books such as Studio Visit, Masters of Today and New Art International. Bentley Publishing Group has published 32 of his works.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Abstract work:
For me, "abstract" is a feeling that finally turns into a form - a form that flows. I paint in layers, adding texture, but it’s as if the paint itself takes part in the creative process. I’m the tour guide on the journey, but there’s another participant: My hands are virtually channeled into a universal source of energy. And that energy, in turn, pulses through the brushes and artist tools.
Equine work:
My equine paintings are part of a study of running horses. All areas of these paintings are designed to make the horses gallop ahead, trying to escape from the canvas. Every single color shows moving energy; each color cooperates with the next to handle this performance of power. I want these horses to run for a while and to let the viewers witness that.
THE INTERVIEW
NCLAC: Who is your favorite artist and why?
HOOSHANG: Johannes Vermeer – because of his usage of light, the feeling of calmness that his paintings evoke, and the beautiful colors. The look of his paintings show that he was a good artist at that time, and you still enjoy that feeling today. "The Milkmaid" is one of my favorites.
NCLAC: Is there any major change in your life you’ve always wished for but feel you can’t attain?
HOOSHANG: Having working studios in several big cities throughout the world.
NCLAC: What is your favorite book, television show, website, and/or magazine?
HOOSHANG: My favorite TV shows and movies are cartoons. Maybe it's because of the art aspect associated with them – in addition to the humor, of course.
NCLAC is supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency. In addition funding for the Holiday Arts Tour is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and administered by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council