Artist Statement
My art is about capturing the beauty of everyday life with the energy and vitality of real places and moments in time.
My experience creating virtual worlds with computer programs has shaped the way I see and understand three dimensional space. It taught me to think of a scene as a space we move through, rather than simply a collection of shapes on a flat surface. Later, working in virtual reality challenged my understanding of the picture plane and deepened my appreciation for observing and experiencing the real world.
I love painting outdoors because I treasure the amount of information our senses reveal about a place and a moment in time. Painting from life is about more than representing shapes and forms; it is also about expressing the deeper qualities of a place, including its culture, history, and atmosphere; the feeling of a place which people don't lose long after the details are forgotten.
Bio
Michael Khoury (b. 1969)
Born in Tehran, Iran, Michael Khoury moved to Chicago with his family at the age of three. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, he grew up speaking Persian and Arabic at home and English at school. Through his mother and summer visits to Iran, he developed an early appreciation for Persian art and culture, particularly the intricate traditions of rug weaving, tapestries, and mosaics.
In the 1980s, Khoury moved to New York to study painting at Pratt Institute, eventually leaving to work as a machine shop intern at Honeybee Robotics, a Manhattan startup. There, he began exploring the intersection of technology, craftsmanship, and art. In 1990, he moved to California to attend Art Center College of Design, graduating four years later with a degree in Transportation Design. The rigorous program refined his skills in drawing, painting, and sculpting, deepening his understanding of form, color, light, and visual observation.
While in California, Khoury discovered a passion for plein air painting, capturing urban and natural landscapes directly from life. After graduation, he joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in the San Francisco Bay Area, working in storyboarding before moving into the emerging video game industry. Combining traditional artistic skills with technical expertise, he quickly advanced to art direction while continuing to paint in oils.
Living in San Francisco’s Mission District, Khoury focused on everyday urban life, painting blue collar workers, immigrant communities, and the neighborhood’s distinctive people and architecture often capturing places and traditions threatened by change. Over the years, his paintings have found homes in private collections, and he has participated in art auctions and plein air events.
Today, Khoury travels and paints throughout the American West and southeastern France.
He currently lives in the bay area of California with his wife, fellow painter Sam, and their cat, Fio.
