Guri Stark

Guri Stark is an outstanding artist and musician in San Diego, CA, known for his vibrant watercolor paintings. He incorporated his engineering thinking to create unique artworks.

Born in 1953 in Israel, Guri Stark has always been drawn to art. “I guess if you are an artist, it is inside you. You do not think about it too much. You feel you need to express feelings with art. For me, it started at a very young age,” he reflects. Raised in a Jewish family of Holocaust survivors, Stark’s cultural heritage profoundly influences his work, with many of his pieces depicting Jewish traditions and stories. Some of his paintings depict Jewish traditions, culture, and religion. Some of his paintings hang in a Jewish Federation in San Diego.

However, his most intensive work is devoted to the extraordinary story of his parents and all the challenges they faced throughout their lives, which are his books. Stark’s recent book, “Third Wind and Three Oceans Away,” honors his parent’s survival story while portraying his love for the arts. “It is based on the stories that I heard from them. It has two novellas in it. They’re entirely fictional, but you will find me and my parents inside the story—not specific people, but pieces of them all over the text. Usually, in my stories, the main characters are artists or musicians. However, in this book, both of them are artists. The tree on the cover, which has roots, also looks like a tree representing the two Holocaust generations. My parents are the roots.”

Despite his passion for art, Stark pursued a degree in mechanical engineering and built a successful career in the high-tech industry. Over the past 40 years, he held executive positions, including CEO and General Manager, while continuing to create art. “My teacher once told me: ‘You must be an engineer. ‘” I asked how she knew that, and she answered: “You paint between the lines like you are an engineer,” he recalls. “You cannot take the engineer off me; I will not try to hide it anymore.” He is eager to help people understand that everyone can be an artist or be interested in art. Guri does art history lectures for all to attend to make art extensible for everyone. 

Music plays a significant role in Stark’s creative process. A harmonica player for many years, he often intertwines music with his art. “My two passions are art and music. I combine them so that much of my art is about music,” he says. 

Guri Stark believes that art always shows true feelings and emotions. You cannot lie about the painting. The main goal of his art is to share the moment he experienced sincerely and his feelings with others. “I try to capture moments. The best way to describe my art is moments and feelings. They are combined inside my paintings. I hope viewers can relate to the emotions that I am trying to convey. Usually, the people who buy my art love that specific moment that captures a particular emotion. The colors are important. I do have a specific set of colors that I use. But I do not think that is the way they buy the painting. They buy it because of the expression that I convey through that painting,” he reflects. 

The discovery of his unique expressionistic style was the result of many years of artistic practice. His paintings are full of movement and color that captivate the viewer’s eyes. “Some artists got bored quickly with their style and moved on to another style. This is not the case with me. Although I have changed styles over the years, I have figured out the style I like best. I stayed with it for a long time.”, he highlights.  

Stark’s artistic journey led him to develop a unique watercolor technique over 35 years. “Although people say watercolor is the most difficult because you cannot make mistakes, I fell in love with it and developed my technique. You will not think my art is watercolor because I paint many layers,” he explains. Recently, he has also begun exploring delicate pen drawings and mixed media. 

Stark continues to evolve as an artist, planning to explore more mixed media in his future works. His paintings have been displayed in various exhibits across California, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Follow Guri’s social media to stay

Website: https://www.guristark.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/GuriStark/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gstark2000/

Daria Maksymenko 

Art Gallery Assistant