Carole Choucair Oueijan
Title: Turning Pages
Mixed Media: Mosaic, Watercolor, Parallam beam wood, mirrors and other materials.
Size: 60H x 84W x 24D inches

Statement:

Turning Pages
Carole Choucair Oueijan
Born in Lebanon 1966, immigrated to the United States 1989.

Fascinated by art installations I have been seeing in many museums and galleries lately, I was inspired to write my life story in mosaic and watercolors while looking back at images and photos since my childhood to the present.
I have been very busy the last 47 years; growing up, falling in love, getting married then raising a family of 3 kids. I didn't get the chance to sit back and flip the pages of my childhood albums until all my kids went to college.
I have more time for myself now! No more driving, volunteering or even cooking that much... This might have happened to you, so you might know exactly what I'm talking about.
Well, now that I got the chance to relive and cherish these tiny moments of my life, I wanted to share them with others, not through Facebook, but in the first installation I do, especially with people who had the same experience as mine: growing up in one country, trying to escape the war, and building a new life in another, on the other side of my world.
By choosing mosaic and watercolor mediums, I tried to express the smallest but most important moments that can sum up my life with its highs and lows. Little things that never seemed important until I lost my parents, like how my father used to pick me up on his shoulders or how my mother used to play with my hair as I sat in her lap. This installation is about these moments.
White, black, turquoise and ochre were used to describe our attachments to earth, how we were so desperate to leave either by sea or sky, our only hope, and all sad and happy moments we lived...
I hope this installation can help inspire you or take you back to the pages in your life, not just mine. Here's to many more pages to come!

Thank you to my son Nicolas for putting this movie together for me. I love you
Music by Assi Al Rahbani - Mishwar. I do not own or claim to own any of the rights to this music. I just appreciate it and found it very complimentary to this piece.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Inspired by the beauty of modern art, Carole Choucair Oueijan, born in 1966 in Beirut, Lebanon, has faithfully reflected her Lebanese-Greek heritage in her art. Her journey into the world of impressionism began with childhood sketches and was further sculpted through academic education and training at YWCA College-Beirut, Lebanon. She studied Interior Design for a period of three years, after which she graduated with high distinction. After her graduation, however, Carole discovered her real passion for painting, so she attended the Institut Nationale des Beaux Arts-The Lebanese University, and completed her Bachelor of Art Degree.

Her oil paintings speak loudly of the rural and suburban symbols of her home land and are a collection of portraits, landscapes, architectural contours, and nautical panoramas. While still in Lebanon, she was invited to exhibit her work in several art exhibitions and galleries in Lebanon, where she received positive reviews and commendation from art critics and admirers alike.

Carole’s portrayal of the Mediterranean life carried her to Greece in 1989, where her family roots extend. There, she grew fond of the almost extinct art of mosaic. While in Greece, Carole learned the traditional skills and techniques of the Byzantine Indirect style of mosaic art by renowned mosaic iconographers in their private studios.

Carole took this exceptional art into a different terrain when she moved to California in 1990. There, Carole was awarded a prize from the National Institute of Watercolor in 1992. Intertwining her artistic creativity and her impressionistic oil painting techniques, she began crafting exceptional mosaic art pieces with three dimensional effects. Using a combination of natural stones and smalti glass brought her mosaic art pieces closer to the modern age and added a layer of innovation and captivating charm to her art pieces.

Her artwork is exhibited across the US, Lebanon, Italy, Greece and Canada. She was also chosen to do a permanent mosaic public art installation in the city of Santa Cruz, CA, at their historical board walk.

Carole was awarded the opportunity to create a mosaic mural for the new Civic Center in Old Town, Temecula, CA, called “The Emigrant Trail”. The mural is about the City’s growth from 1847 to 1858, and was installed in December 2010.

Indeed, each of Carole’s pieces is a one-of-a-kind creation. Each is a unique reflection of her 6 thousand years heritage and of her enormous talent and artistic craftsmanship.

Awards & Recognition:

Best of Show for “Home” -- World Contemporary Art, November 2002

1st Prize, Best of Show for "Joy" -- Artists Helping Artists (AHA), October 2004

Honorable Mention – Master Of Mixed Media for "Finesse" -- Artists Helping Artists (AHA), October 2004

Juror's Choice for "Orchis Morio Libani M1" Wild Lebanese Orchids-- The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA), Mosaic Art International 2008

Special Recognition Award -- Lebanese American Foundation/The House of Lebanon, March 10, 2012

Certificate of Recognition -- Presented by the City of Los Angeles for Carole’s dedication to the House of Lebanon, the Lebanese-American Community and the City of Los Angeles, March 10, 2012.