Biography
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Inspired by the beauty of modern art, Carole Choucair Oueijan, born in 1966 in Beirut, Lebanon, faithfully reflected her Lebanese-Greek heritage in her art. Her journey into the world of impressionism began as ingenuous sketches at a very tender age and was further sculpted through academic education and training at YWCA College-Beirut, Lebanon, where 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, settings, architectural contours, and nautical panoramas, all unique in their harmony of color and degree of serenity and sublimity, all the reason why 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 from admirers of her art. 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 Mosaics. In Greece Carole learned the essential skills of classical mosaic art at the hands of Greek clergymen devoted to preserve the art of creating religious icons. However, 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. By tallying her artistic creativity and her impressionistic oil painting techniques, she began crafting exceptional mosaics art pieces with three dimensional effects, using stones such as marble-smalti combination, which brought her mosaic art pieces closer to the modern age and added a layer of innovation and captivating charm to her art pieces. Her mosaic “Home” won her the “Best of Show Award” from the World Contemporary Art in November 2002. 1st Prize “Best of Show Award” from Artists Helping Artists (AHA) for her mosaic “Joy” in October 2004. “Honorable Mention – Master Of Mixed Media Award” from Artists Helping Artists (AHA) for her artwork “Finesse” in October 2004. "Juror's Choice Award" Mosaic Art International 2008, from The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) for her mosaic "Orchis Morio Libani M1" Wild Lebanese Orchid. “Special Recognition Award” from the Lebanese American Foundation, the House of Lebanon. Glendale, CA. 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 “Recipient of the 2015 Community Service Award” from The Los Angeles Cedars Rotary eClub “Certificate of Recognition” Presented by The City of Los Angeles in recognition of her award reflected by her involvement in numerous philanthropic, artistic, cultural and civic activities, April 26, 2015 “Special Recognition Award” from TCUSD, Temple City Unified School District for recognizing in her public art project the Distinguished Schools in her mosaic “A District of Distinguished Schools”. September 16, 2015 As a Founder and President of the HOL Artists Group, Carole received the “Recognition Award”, on March 18, 2016 for her 10 years of commitment to House of Lebanon and the Lebanese American Foundation Awarded “Best Site-Specific Mosaic”, Mosaic Arts International 2017, from SAMA, for her Temple City Public Art Project of 5 Mosaic panels displayed along Rosemead Blv. Temple City, CA. Detroit MI, May, 2017 Her artwork is exhibited across the US, Lebanon, Italy, Greece, Qatar and Canada. Carole was awarded with 5 permanent Public Art projects in the state of California: These public art projects are open calls competitions following several presentations and meetings in the city. 1. City of Santa Cruz, CA, art installation at their historical board walk, 2005. 2. Temecula Civic Center, CA, “The Emigrant Trail” Mural 2010. 3. Five murals on Rosemead Blvd., City of Temple City, CA. 2016 4. “Orchis Morio Libani” City of Bellflower, CA. 2017 5. The winner of her latest project/sculpture in the city of Monrovia CA. "Mayor Bob Bartlett Memorial" 2018. |