Gallery of Armenian-Born Artist at Library's Donald B. Palmer Museum

Starting this week, the library is offering Springfield residents a chance to take a journey into the unknown.

"Stories of Color," an exhibit of paintings by Sona Yeghiazaryan is now on display at the library's Donald B. Palmer Museum. Yeghiazaryan, an Armenian born artist Montclair State University graduate, says on her website that much of her inspiration comes from music, and that creating art is her way of "dreaming," "playing music" and more.

"To me art is a journey to the unknown world," Yeghiazaryan said in a statement. "It reveals itself only to those willing to believe in the world built on the irrationality of poetic souls."

She stresses that the goal of her art is connectivity and honesty.

"In my art there are no secrets, only magic that happens to those who can fall in love with the breathtaking beauty of the simple, those who can hear a whole symphony from a simple sound made by color," Yeghiazaryan said. "In my work I am showing you the simple, the visible, so you can imagine the invisible. Here the colors will tell you stories, the endings of which entirely depend on the inventiveness of your mind and creativeness of your soul."

Yeghiazaryan was born in Armenia and started drawing when she was two years old. She found success quickly, having two personal exhibitions in pre-school. She continued her education in Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Yerevan, Armenia.

She graduated Montclair State University with a Bachelor's degree in Art Education and a concentration in painting. From 1992 until the present, she has had numerous exhibitions internationally including shows in Armenia, Belarus and the USA. At 16 she was chosen to participate in the International Young Artists festival in

Minsk and exhibited at the art gallery of Marc Chagall, where one of her works was selected for the gallery's permanent collection. In the US, she had been selected for numerous shows including the International Artexpo, Columbia University, Cooper Union and the Pen & Brush.

The exhibit will be up until September 1. Yeghiazaryan is celebrating her exhibit on July 29th at a reception in the Springfield Library's Palmer museum from 6 to 8. All are invited to attend.