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Artist's Statement

My art is somewhere beyond our world, a self created place, and a mixture of different cultures creatively painted on canvas. It is a serene place where one would aspire to be, far from the rubbish existing in this world where mankind has disturbed what our greatest God has created.

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With my various travels, journeys, and cultural experiences, I felt like creating a new world of my own, a world where there is only love, peace, happiness, faith, forgiveness, and understanding. In my art, you find freedom, peace, and joy, a place where one dreams to reach to.

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My art is a world with no restrictions, nor distractions. It is a free world.

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Warm and cool colors, with luminescence uniting the two color schemes, are painted into abstractions where they amazingly complement one another.

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My art is beyond my description. It is, in fact, another gift from God. Images on my canvas are creations by Him, but only using my hand. For this, I am thankful as always.

Biography

“By eliminating the representational in her painting Ms. Ayoub's landscapes are rich and passionate spiritual worlds where color and form are the central focus. She has a beautiful way of handling color and her painterly brushwork adds an expressive quality." -Josephine Martins, Curator, Museum of Nebraska Art, 2003

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“I have viewed Roula’s works with much interest. Her paintings are quite beautiful. There is a luminescence and spirituality evident in all her works. And beautiful use of gesture and color." -Preston Haskell, Jacksonville, Florida, America’s top 100 collectors, Art & Antiques Magazine March 2003.

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Roula Ayoub’s abstract paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the Appleton Museum of Art in Florida; the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman, Jordan; the JHS Gallery in Taos, New Mexico (USA); and the Galerie Espace Lucrèce in Paris, France.

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In addition, her work is is in public and corporate collections including those of the Beirut International Airport and the Bank Audi Art Collection in Beirut, Lebanon. Museum collections include those of the Museum of Fine Arts at Florida State University in Tallahassee Florida and the Sharjah Art Museum in UAE.

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Roula was born in 1964 in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. She received her M.S. in Interior Design and Fine Arts with honorable mention from Florida State University.

Select Exhibitions

2007

  • Faqra, Colors of Love & Peace, Faqra, Lebanon

  • Unesco Palace, "Scream", Beirut, Lebanon

  • Bethania Exhibition, Harissa Hill, Lebanon


2006

  • JHS Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, USA

  • Bristol Hotel, Noel Au Bristol, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Bethania Harissa Center, Harissa Hill, Lebanon

  • Galerie Farra, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Norfolk Arts Center, Norfolk, NE


2005

  • Noah's Ark Art Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Chasen Galleries of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia

  • Galerie Espace Lucrece, Paris, France

  • Byblos Sculpture Garden, Invitational, Lebanon

  • Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida

  • Melange Art Gallery, Fort Worth, Texas

  • Kulturzentrum, Jounieh, Lebanon

  • Gallery 92, Fremont, NE

2004

  • Carnegie Arts Center, Alliance, NE

  • Arte Las Americas Galeria, Houston, Texas

  • State of the Art Gallery, Beirut

  • Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE

  • Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska


2003

  • Coutts Memorial Museum of Art, El Dorado, Kansas

  • Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

  • Governor’s Mansion, Lincoln, Nebraska

  • Louisville Art Gallery, Invitational, Louisville, NE

  • Galerie Farra, Beirut

  • Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan


2002-2001

  • French & Francophonie Fine Art, Dubai, UAE

  • Artuel, Beirut, Lebanon


2000

  • Artexpo New York

  • Artexpo Miami

1999

  • Galerie Le Cygne, Dubai, UAE

  • Majlis Gallery, Muscat, Oman

  • Arabian Collection Gallery, Khobar, Saudi Arabia


1998

  • State of the Art Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Index Dubai, Dubai, UAE


1997-1992

  • Burkholder Project, Lincoln, Nebraska

  • FINE, Place Des Martyrs, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Futuroscope Art & Interior, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Galerie Bekhazi, Beirut, Lebanon

  • FINE, Place Des Martyrs, Beirut, Lebanon

  • Art Deco, Beirut, Lebanon


1989-1985

  • La Mode Gallery, Monrovia, Liberia

  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

  • Union College, Juried Exhibition, Lincoln, Nebraska

  • University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska

Select Recognitions

  • Art Business News, Emerging Artist, p 45, Sept 2007

  • ALO Magazine, "Painting A Dream", p 99-100, Jan-Mar 2007

  • NewTV, Icon of Love VIII appearance on Akeed Maestro with Nishan, Oct 18, 2006

  • Art Business News, Joy of Life, June 2006

  • Guide to Freedom, Interview, "Flying High with Freedom", July 2005

  • Art Business News, “Celebrating Mother and Child, paintings by Roula G. Ayoub”, April 2005.

  • La Revue Du Liban, "Roula Ayoub au Kulturzentrum... fragments d'une vie", Mar 26 - Apr 2 2005, by Art Critic Sonia Nigolian.

  • Al Bayt Al Methaly (magazine), Kuwait, March 2005 issue.

  • Invitational, The Presidential Palace, The First Lady of Lebanon Andree Lahoud, Dec 15, 2004.

  • Nebraska Magazine, “Ayoub Paints a Free World on Canvas”, Andrea Cranford, Winter 2004 issue.

  • Alsumaria (TV), 45 minute interview by Maha Salma along with Marwan Khoury, Nov 4, 2004.

  • Art World News (magazine), New York, Oct 2004

  • Nebraska City News Press, “Governor’s Mansion Art Tour”, Sept. 22, 2004.

  • Al Balad (newspaper), Beirut, Oct 2004

  • NBN (TV), Interview by Rabia Zayyat, Sept 2004

  • Noun (magazine), Sept 2004, Jul 2004

  • L’Hebdo (magazine), “Lumiere de Vie”, July 16, 2004

  • NBN TV, Interview by Milad Hadchiti, July 2004.

  • Catalog of the 2003 Art from the Heartland Regional Exhibit and the National Juried Art Exhibit.

  • 58th Edition of Who’s Who in America, 2004

  • Postcard Collection for the Coutts Museum, “Blue Flame”, Juror Selection, Sept 4, 2003

  • LBC (TV), July 2004, Jun 2003

  • Lincoln Journal Star, “Volcanic Palette”, Feb 16, 2003

  • Daily Nebraskan (newspaper), “3 Worlds of Color”, Jan 31, 2003

  • Cedar Wings (magazine), Dec 2002

  • Fairuz Liban (magazine), Mar 2001, Oct 1998

  • LBC TV Interview by Gracia Breidi at State of the Art Gallery, Feb 2, 2001

  • Installation of “Eternal Sunrise”, Mosaic Sculpture, Mansourieh, Lebanon, 2000

  • Beirut Times, Los Angeles, Mar 2000

  • Snob Alhasna (magazine), Feb 1999

  • Look Décor (magazine), Jan 1999

  • Beaute Décor, Jamalouki (magazine), May 1998

  • Tele-Liban TV Interview by Said Ghorayeb, Dec 10, 1997

  • Lincoln Journal Star, “Rocky Mountains”, Apr 20, 1997

  • Lamasat Decoration (magazine), Mar 1997

Select Collections

  • Nancy Ajram, Beirut

  • Embassy of Kazakhstan, Beirut

  • The Lady of Lebanon, Harissa Hill, Lebanon

  • Bentley Forbes, Los Angeles

  • Zakhem Group, Houston

  • Presidential Palace, Baabda, Lebanon

  • Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida

  • Museum of Fine Arts, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

  • Andros Museum of Modern Art, Andros, Greece

  • Beirut International Airport, Lebanon

  • Bank Audi Art Collection, Beirut

  • Mike Johanns

  • Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE

  • National Arbor Day Foundation, Nebraska City

  • Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum, Istanbul, Turkey

  • Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan

  • Esteban, New York

  • Julia Boutros, Dubai, UAE

  • Le Meridien Hotel, Dubai, UAE

Education

1988, MS, Interior Design and Fine Art, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
1987, Jewelry Design Enameling, Renowned Artist and Prof. William Harper, Florida State University
1986, Art Education, Renowned Artist and Prof. James McClelland, Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska
1985, BS, Interior Design, Minor in Art, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
1982, Art Education, Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska

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