Once a jewelry maker in Iran, a Glendale woodworker continues to sharpen his craft 25 years on
Glendale resident Goorgen Ghazarian with several of the wood pieces he’s carved, which include miniature hookah replicas, bowls, salt and pepper shakers and coasters.
It’s not unusual to see a home with an abundance of wall decorations or furniture, but the hundreds of pieces in Goorgen Ghazarian’s house all came from the same place — his hands.
At 86, he’s carved and crafted nearly 300 woodworks, which are scattered around his Glendale home. While some hand-made wooden frames and flower creations may look alike, no two are the same.
Ghazarian said he attributes his style to his days as a jewelry-maker in his hometown of Isfahan, Iran.
“A customer would bring me a picture, saying this is what I’d want, and I’d make it. But there was no second, that’s the only piece,” he said.
An end table Goorgen Ghazarian carved has an intricately detailed surface.
Ghazarian emigrated to Glendale in 1985 and, due to a lack of resources, retired from the jewelry business. About five years later, he gave woodworking a chance because it still let him explore his craving for artistic expression.
“Being an artist, I had to create something,” Ghazarian said. “It’s what I’ve been doing since age 20 until I retired and came to America. I had to keep going. I had to keep creating.”
So, he set up his workshop in a corner of the house. Ghazarian said he enjoys being handy so much that he even crafted his own chisels for carving.
A small wooden chest carved by Goorgen Ghazarian.
Throughout his house, it’s impossible not to see the fruits of his labor over 25 years. There are dozens of wood carvings of different types of flowers and plaques with etchings of the letters of the Armenian alphabet hanging from several walls. He said most of his repertoire is inspired by Armenian culture.
There are also handmade backgammon and chess boards. A handful of coffee tables with intricately carved patterns are his most prized works, including one in his living room that bears the likeness of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia.
The more complex pieces — composed of basswood, maple, cherrywood and other types of wood — take up to six months to finish.
But his home is the only place to see his works. Ghazarian has never sold anything nor does he intend to — everything has been made for his family or sometimes a gift for a friend.
“The amount of work I put into this doesn’t equal what I can sell it for,” he said. “The return will not be that much. I decided to keep everything for my family.”
Goorgen Ghazarian poses with some of his wood carvings on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
But his daughter, Hera Gozalians, said she’d like to see some of the woodworks — such as the coffee tables — in a museum someday.
She said she’s thankful her father found a hobby and stuck with it because it’s kept him happy and healthy as he grew older.
“I’m very proud of him because when I compare him to other people his age, all they do is sit and watch TV or just go to the Adult Recreation Center,” Gozalians said. “He’s never been like that. All my life that I’ve known him, he’s been creating something new just to keep going.”
The days of churning out the bigger pieces, however, may be winding down.
Ghazarian said he doesn’t spend as much time in his workshop nowadays, and when he does, he’s crafting smaller pieces.
Some of his most recent works include miniature wooden replicas of hookahs and wooden cookie cutters.
Despite a quarter-of-a-century hobby and evidence of a high level of skill, Ghazarian gets shy when he’s asked if he considers himself an expert yet.
He smiles, chuckles and starts humbly waiving his hand in disagreement.
“No, no, I’ve got a lot to go,” he said.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
