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T

en years ago, Pappy Khouri said he couldn’t paint. Didn’t have it in him. Was too left brained.

Artist Gosia Tjoza didn’t agree, telling him anybody could paint. “So she gave me a canvas and helped me draw some things out on it, and started me painting. That’s how I got into it,” says Pappy.

Green Hull

Gosia started Pappy out with acrylics, though he now prefers oils. “I like the buttery feeling [of oils] and the fact that they don’t dry. So you can kind of manipulate them a little bit more.”

Pappy Khouri

Looking back over his work, Pappy acknowledges it’s not only his paint preference that has changed. “I’ve been doing more palette knife work. You can see there’s more texture than the paintings.” Several of his paintings in the Pamlico Horizons series feature boats in the harbor or on the water. The paint has been built up, giving visual (and physical) weight to these pieces.

Sunset Lake in Granbury, TX

For the last five years, Pappy has been studying with Wilmington artist Dan Beck. Dan, he says, “keeps saying ‘more paint, more paint.’ So, I’m taking that to heart.” Pappy has also been studying figure painting with Beck. A challenge, Pappy says, because he has no formal training and struggles with drawing what he sees on canvas.

Pamlico Horizons #118 Oriental Harbor

Pappy continues to pursue and work at figure painting, though he says landscapes are his favorite things to paint. The collection at The Village Gallery contains landscapes from Texas, Scotland, Nebraska, and of course Pamlico County.

Framing also by Pappy Khouri.

Pappy Khouri’s work will be on display in the Artist of the Month gallery through the end of the year, and then moved to his studio space in the same building. There is an Artists’ Reception for Khouri on Saturday, December 4, from 2-5p at the Gallery.

Still Life #10

Anchoring out

Detail from Oriental Harbor

Pappy’s studio inside The Village Gallery.

Upstate Barn

Signed by Pappy.

Village Gallery is at 300 Hodges Street in Oriental, open 10a until 5p, Wed – Sun.

Related Links

• The Village Gallery

Posted Friday December 3, 2021 by Allison DeWeese