Victor Ostrovsky can’t reach everyone who buys his paintings. And even when he’s met them in person, the insight he gives to his art can be forgotten over time.
So the Scottsdale gallery owner and artist has created a way for everyone to get to know his art and style any time and from anywhere through a YouTube video.
“I think this is the wave of the present,” Ostrovsky said. “We always talk about the wave of the future, but we’re on the crest of the wave right now.”
“Decoding the Metaphor” describes Ostrovsky’s background as a special agent in the Mossad, the intelligence agency for the state of Israel, and how it has affected his work.
Ostrovsky left the agency in 1986 and published four books.
The video brings Ostrovsky’s canvasses to life by pointing out hidden clues: checker board patterns signifying the spy game, marbles on the board marking all the players and pouches sealed with red tape.
“Each painting is a new story and a new thrill,” the video explains.
Ostrovsky has linked the video, which is about four minutes long, onto his Web site. It has received more than 200 views.
He hired a professional to do the camera work and voice over, did some of the narration himself and included actual videos and photos of events and people who inspire the work.
“I don’t want to aspire to say this is supposed to educate them, but maybe inform them about the art, understand me and then maybe be a collector,” Ostrovsky said.
Future plans include installing a Web camera in his gallery at 7048 E. Main Street that would allow tourists and visitors to record a greeting to their friends and family.
Ostrovsky also wants to record more YouTube videos and include question and answer sessions about art, politics or whatever people want.
“We have a window of opportunity with YouTube because it is still free,” he said. “This is an opportunity to get deeper into it.”
