We recently connected with Marwan Aridi and have shared our conversation below.

Marwan, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
As an artist, I did not immediately align my own creative passion to monetizing my work. I was driven by my own vision. When completing a client-based design project, I was surprised that my customers reacted with appreciation and praise. It was incredibly gratifying, but also informative. I remember that project: an initial cap design recreated and reinterpreted from an old manuscript in the early 1990s. My fascination with old bibles and ancient illuminated manuscripts inspired me to create a collection of alphabets. This undertaking resulted in the creation of six full volumes of alphabets, collected and refashioned from ancient texts and typography. In 1993, I had put everything into exhibiting in a single booth at the Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. I was just a single artist among hundreds of national and multinational companies. But, my “one-man show” was so well-received by the attendees that it motivated me to pursue the creative endeavor full-time. Yes, I remember that there were many obstacles, from learning how to display my work to interacting with so many different people. It was a very organic process, and – at the end of the day – I learned how to match my passion with market-centric needs.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Marwan Aridi is a Lebanese-American artist who has received worldwide acclaim for his creative designs in Arabesque and calligraphy in both traditional and digital formats. His artist journey has been showcased across a wide variety of mediums, ranging from time-honored prints, typescripts and canvases to porcelains, tapestries and veneered wood. From a very young age, Marwan had a talent and fervor for creating and designing art. In the 1980s, Marwan Aridi immigrated to the U.S. to engage in full-time, intensive study, earning a bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Masters of Arts in Advertising. By the early 1990s, the digital revolution provided exciting new systems, tools and processes that created a big vacuum for designers and commercial artists. Marwan Aridi answered the market calling, becoming a pioneering force in the turbulent market for design and commercial art. The combination of classic fine arts education coupled with hands-on, continuous learning evolved into a unique portfolio of ability and aptitude, imagination and resourcefulness. For over three decades, Marwan Aridi has engrossed mind and heart into the creation, development and diffusion of his artistic vision. In 1992, Aridi founded Aridi Graphics, Inc. (www.aridi.com), a software company specializing is fonts, drawings and ornaments. Today, more than one-million worldwide registered end-users enjoy more than 50 distinctive software releases featuring thousands of art images. His distinctive designs are featured in books, magazines, advertisements and a variety of commissioned art work across the globe. For the past seven years, Marwan Aridi has focused singularly on Arabesque Ornaments and Arabic calligraphy art culminating in the publication and distribution of critically-acclaimed books that inform and inspire the art community. “Tribute to the Art of Islamic Ornaments” is a 250-page large hard cover book, revealing insights into the history and fruition of Islamic art in both Arabic and English. This original volume illuminates 185 full-page color plates and 334 full-color illustrations that capture and chronicle the mystical cultural progressions in calligraphy and ornamentation. The second book, “The world of Ornament and Arabic Calligraphy” provides meticulous devotion to and appreciation for the acute detailing and color coordination that distinguishes the evolution of Arabic calligraphy and ornaments, from its genesis through impactful art epochs. This extensive collection features 282 pages of unparalleled designs in full-color. His most recent book release, “Arabesque Ornaments”, is a 220-page tome that includes 158 complete decorative panels executed using digital technology: a genuine reflection of Aridi’s decades of painstaking commitment to refining his craftsmanship, detailing and artistic expression. The volume not only captures the authenticity of historical influences, it extends his artistic vision to enhance and enliven Arabesque with the beauty and splendor of its namesake patterns. Impeccable attention to detail combined with extraordinary color coordination distinguishes Marwan Aridi’s impact on the art world. Aridi art transcends cultural and historical boundaries, elevating traditional Arabic & Islamic calligraphy through the lens of a learned and skillful artist. This singular, beautiful fine art leads a casual viewer to inquire about the artist. This has been the litmus test for all of Aridi art and designs. Aridi’s exhibition tour stops include Dallas, Washington, D.C., Dubai, London, Paris, Miami, New York Philadelphia, Beirut and San Francisco. Award-winning, critically acclaimed across the globe, Marwan Aridi has become recognized as the Master Artist whose works will continue to influence and impact the art and design world.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
We are currently in the process of creating our page in the NFT world.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
NFT are the future since the world is becoming mor involved in every aspect on technology and digital intelligent this will lead to more acceptance and popularity in digital art. We are starting to see that taking place in NFT auctions and sales.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marwanaridi.com, www.aridi.com, www.aridiart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marwanaridiart/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MarwanAridiArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marwan-aridi-153968/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/marwanaridiart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCrj5x11oL1cITDjmcgqNTIQ
• Other: TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdk6rjHU/

Image Credits
© MARWAN ARIDI