Aleah Koury was born in Bellingham, Washington and raised in Independence, Missouri. He started his studies as a biology major at the University of Missouri, and needed a fine arts class to fulfill a requirement to complete his degree, so he chose a painting class. When the class was completed, Koury asked his professor if she believed he had the talent to make it as an artist if he were to change
...see more » his major. Despite her negative response, he changed his major to ceramics, utilizing his scientific training to work within a creative three-dimensional medium. After graduating with a BA in Ceramics he went on to receive an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Southern Illinois. Currently, pastel drawings form a large part of the body of his work, and his style and approach are particularly unique. Using a combination of ground pastels as well as sticks, his drawings take on the appearance of paintings. Layers of color are combined with subtle detail. Occasionally, as in his abstract and floral pieces, he has incorporated metallic leafing within the layers of color. Yet, as he explains, technique is not his main concern. He is currently focused on drawing on scenes in nature. Recapturing the natural drama experienced and translating that emotion into a personal statement is his artistic objective. He achieves this with color, its placement, color combinations and juxtapositions which together create the dramatic and emotional impact between the artist and his surroundings. Koury is an impressionist with a contemporary flair as evidenced by his command of subject matter ranging from mysterious abstracted landscape and stately romantic gardens to his boldly geometric yet purely harmonious jazz series. The jazz series combines a playful dance of color with gold leaf and metallic foils, intertwining shapes to create a sense of spontaneous drama, rhythm and fluid movement. Koury's jazz series reveals his accomplished background in both ceramics and printmaking in the layered surfaces, lyrical quality of the drawing and finely rendered balance of color and design. The artist relies on the sensory use of color in his work which evokes a mood that is soft, yet intense. The palette in his atmospheric pastels simulates landscapes with subtle horizons, separating earth, water and sky. Rich in color, Koury's abstract landscapes depict impressionistic skies which flow gracefully into horizons accented with dunes and reeds. Rich, jewel-toned clouds sweep across skies of contrasting and complementary colors, creating romantic, modern landscapes. Since 1978, Koury has been showing in galleries and exhibitions nationwide. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 1978 Ford Foundation Fellowship. Koury's works are included in the collections of MCI Telecommunications, Metropolitan Life Insurance, USAir, Exxon, Eastman Kodak Company and Hitachi Data Systems. « see less
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