Meet Nabil El Jaouhari | Artist. Painter and printmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nabil El Jaouhari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nabil, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always wanted to become an artist, even as a young kid I would stay in and doodle. And being the son of a furniture maker, my parents encouraged me and I ended up going to school for general fine arts diploma. It’s a French system back in Beirut where I’m from in my country Lebanon. And then came here for my MFA in painting and printmaking at the University of Missouri

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art uses painting in different forms and different mediums combined with wood burning. A lot of my work has collage from my old paintings that I bring with me from Lebanon every time I visit. Mostly study is of nature or still life that my parents kept at their house.
When I first started doing this work I wanted to do a work about memory due to the fact that I have all these paintings that belong to another place in time and the wood burning came along to talk about permanent Mark making versus the removable quality of the canvas.
And to be able to produce a work that uses low art forms like wood, burning and collage. I started leaning on a concept in painting that is called horror vacu… Or horror of the void. And it derives from folk arts rococo, Islamic arts and so. And it drifts away from the Western idea of a painting in the sense of the foreground and the background are on the surface. And it’s very much about the surface and the texture and filling every inch of the painting with an ornament or an idea.
There was a lot of challenges to be able to develop a body of work that is unique in its combination but also to be able to promote it and sell it. And I’m very grateful for my Gallery here. Mark better’s Gallery for all the support. Post my master’s degree, I wasn’t sure if I’m going to be making a living out of art, I was working in sculpture for my ex professor. But after Mark so my work online he invited me personally to send some work and it started selling and people seems to really like it and so I ended up moving here 3 years ago. I learned along the way. What works in my art? The exploration of the combination of wood burning and painting keeps on growing and developing, changing, taking new forms and new lives. I also learned what works in the gallery setting and what sells which is important no matter what for someone that works and makes a living out of art. I would like the world to know that no one does what I do. This is a combination that I’ve been developing for over 10 years now and if you look at all my art no matter how different the paintings are, they all have the same Spirit, the same soul and that magical combination of the collage and painting and wood burning

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely like to take them out to see nature which is one of the strongest aspects of living in wnc. Going on a hike and walking along the river. The town itself has so many great restaurants and so many amazing local shops that deserve a visit and deserve to be supported and seen

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely want to send a shout out to Mark Bettis Gallery and Mark Bettis personally for being my supporter and my gallerist and my guiding lights

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nabil_eljaouhari?igsh=bGtzbTl0YWU0cGt0

Image Credits
First painting is cold cycle. It’s 72 in x 48 in and it is wood burning collage and gold leaf

Second one is a picture of me.

Third one is painting called the aftermath. It’s 48×48 wood burning and Japanese gouache.

Fourth picture is a small painting entitled stay rooted, mixed media and wood burning 12×12