Sarkis Antikajian, 93-Year-Old Painter, Reflects on a Lifetime of Art on FASO Podcast

Sarkis Antikajian, born in 1933 in Amman, Jordan, was featured on the FASO Podcast. He discovered French Impressionism and Van Gogh as a teenager, which sparked his lifelong passion. He immigrated to the United States at 25, worked 35 years as a pharmacist to gain financial independence, and retired in 1994 at 62 to paint full-time. Now 93, he paints daily, working in watercolor, acrylic, oil, figurative, landscape, and abstraction. He emphasizes loving the process over outcome, staying curious, and avoiding market trends. His advice to artists: find another income source to avoid financial fear, paint often on inexpensive materials, and seek no one's approval. He was deeply influenced by Van Gogh's persistence and Sergey Bongard's workshop. He lives in Oregon on a six-acre property he planted himself to paint. He used to send a monthly newsletter for 15 years but stopped recently. He believes in painting from life and avoiding over-polished work.