Name Les Kouba | Role Author | |
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Spotlight on the Collection Les Kouba October 2017
Leslie C. Kouba (born February 3, 1917 – September 13, 1998) was an American artist, author, outdoorsman, and businessman, specializing in waterfowl paintings. Kouba is identified as one of the artists responsible for the resurgence of wildlife art in the 1970s.
Contents
- Spotlight on the Collection Les Kouba October 2017
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Honors and accomplishments
- References
Early life
Born to Anthony and Sophie Kouba, 1st generation Czech-Americans, Kouba was delivered during a snowstorm, two miles east of Hutchinson, Minnesota. Anthony and Sophie owned a small dairy operation, where young Kouba and his two brothers, Harry and Ernie spent their childhood learning to hunt, trap, and fish. Kouba recalled time spent with his father during this time "contributed to my [his] early appreciation of nature."
Career
Kouba's professional career started at age 11, when he sold his first painting to a wealthy German farmer for $8 (approximately $110 in 2014 US dollars). Three years later, Kouba received his only formal art training which was through a Minneapolis based, correspondence called the Federal School of Applied Cartooning (currently known as Art Instruction Schools). Upon graduation, Kouba traveled the United States, painting Coca-Cola logos on commercial signs, before the popularization of decals. Kouba not only painted their logo, he improved it by sloping and shading the flattened letter. The Coca-Cola company got wind of Kouba's redesign and granted him with a sizable commission for his efforts.
Kouba opened his own commercial art firm called Kouba Advertising Art. Some of his most famous contributions to come out of his Minneapolis based studio included: The Old Dutch windmill on potato chips bags and boxes, Schmidt beer wildlife scenes, and Red Owl grocery store's logo.
Kouba also has three inventions that are patented. His inventions include the original Art-O-Graph and Map-O-Graph, which project enlarged images of artwork and maps. Kouba also owned US Patent: 2478585, folded paper Goose decoys.
Personal life
In 1939, he married Orial Anna Rose Thiem, of Gibbon, Minnesota. She was five years Kuba's senior. The couple was married for over 55 years until her death in 1996.