Les Kouba

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.[1][2]

Early life

Born to Anthony and Sophie Kouba, 1st generation Czech-Americans, Kouba was delivered during a snowstorm, two miles east of Hutchinson, Minnesota.[3] 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."[3]

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).[4] 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.

Honors and accomplishments

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In 71 years of available sales figures, Kouba's stamps 1958 and 1967 are ranked 15th and 25th best selling Federal Duck Stamps, making an estimated $77.2 million (in 2014 dollars).
  2. ↑ "The Federal Duck Stamp Program: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service". Fws.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "Leslie Kouba". National Museum of Wildlife Art. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Wildlife art prints plus original paintings with a wide selection from ArtBarbarians.com located in Minnesota". Artbarbarians.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Les Kouba, American wildlife artist to Minnesota and the world". Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  5. ↑ "Past winners – Fish & wildlife habitat stamp contests". Dnr.state.mn.us. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
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