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.

Kathy Breaux is from Los Angeles, California and grew up in Downey. She knew art would be her profession before entering grade school. Kathy graduated from Cal-State University Long Beach with her B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing in 1979. She then went on to complete her M.A. in Painting and Drawing at Cal-State Fullerton in 1984.

Kathy has been teaching art since 1981 and currently teaches art to children at nine community centers as well as conducting private lessons. Her own work has been widely exhibited in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. She has won several awards including: Juror's Award, Orange County Visual Arts Exhibit, Chapman University, Orange, 1993. Artist Grant, Southern California Artists, 1996.

Kathy's current artistic direction involves a combination of figuration and abstraction to convey the "spirituality" within us all. She works with mixed media watercolors and wants the work to visually move the viewer on an emotional level. She is interested in meditation and Eastern Philosophy as well as Latin American folk art, medieval art and the modern abstractionists.

Selected Exhibitions:

2006 Hunt Branch Library, Fullerton, Solo Exhibit
2005 Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Art Rental and Sales Gallery
2002 California State University Fullerton Grand Central Gallery, Santa Ana, "Ordinary World" four-person Exhibit
2001 John Wayne Airport, Southern California Artists Juried Group Exhibit
1998 Bistango Art Cafe, Irvine, Group Exhibit
1996 American Institute of Architects, Costa Mesa, two-person Exhibit
1995 Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art Rental and Sales Gallery
1995 Brea Cultural Center Gallery, "Carte Blanche," Juried Exhibit
1993 Irvine Fine Arts Center, "Out of the Mainstream," Invitational Group Exhibit

Collections:

Sara Kusenda, Phoenix, Arizona
Janice Deloof, Fullerton, California
Truck Smith, California
Mildred Kouzel, Fullerton, California

kbarts@earthlink.net

Artist, Arts Activist

In June of 2000, Cheryl became Director of the SCA Gallery located in the Pomona Arts Colony. Along with this position came a relocation of her personal studio from the Artists Village in Santa Ana to the downtown Pomona Arts Colony. In 2001, she proposed a collaborative project between the Pomona Arts Colony, the academic community, artist Judy Chicago and her photographer husband, Donald Woodman. For over two years, Ms. Bookout worked closely with Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman to create Envisioning the Future, an intensive project which brought over 80 artists from all over Southern California to the Inland Empire to work, present and perform images with the common theme of the future. Cheryl Bookout was the Project Coordinator of this complex undertaking, which came to a successful conclusion in March 2004.

The content of Cheryl's personal art reflects her examination of the cycle of life and the impact humans have on one another.. life's fragile balance on this planet. Over the years she has developed techniques in installation art and mixed media painting with an extensive exhibition and collection history. She currently resides in Joshua Tree, California and is working as a full time studio artist.