"Inlight Studios," Mher Harutunian's 2 newly named mall art galleries to open in USA

PanARMENIAN.Net - Mher Harutunian, an Armenian born artist who moved to Dayton from New York City in 2000, had established a steady following at his "Portraits by Michael" art kiosk at Cincinnati's Eastgate Mall over a three-year period before mall management approached him in early 2009 to see if he wanted to expand into a full store.



Pleasantly surprised, he signed a one-year lease agreement on the 3,000 square foot former B Moss women's clothing store.



Prompted by Eastgate's encouraging offer, Harutunian next contacted Dayton's Mall at Fairfield Commons and received an equally positive offer. He now has a 16-month lease agreement with Fairfield to occupy a 2,000 square foot former photography store, selling his works out of a kiosk on the first floor before the gallery opens.



"Inlight Studios," Harutunian's newly named mall art galleries, will feature many of the artist's works he sells at his kiosks. Ranging from roughly 250 black and white hand drawn celebrity portraits done in charcoal to custom portraits of personal photos hand drawn in pastel or charcoal, Harutunian — who now goes by Michael instead of Mher — is grateful for the opportunity both malls have given him.



Of the two new galleries, Harutunian thinks the Eastgate store will offer him more customers, he is even thinking about offering art classes at his Fairfield store.



Harutunian grew up in Armenia surrounded by art. His father, uncle and cousins were all artists, with his father's artwork decorating the walls in his family's apartment. He graduated from Yerevan Art Academy in 1987, where his father was a professor.



From there, Harutunian did artistic design work in the former USSR until moving to Boston in 1992, then later to Manhattan in 1996.



With his two new galleries set to open, Harutunian has come a long way in his 10 years spent in the Dayton area. Before opening his kiosk at Eastgate, the artist used to sketch people at night in the Oregon District.