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Jay Koka Studio
TEN
a Retrospective of the Tenth
Anniversary Book |
BIOGRAPHY
continued, page 2
After ten
months, Jay and his father emigrated to Canada while the cousins chose Germany,
Brazil and America. Although his father was a professional engineer by trade,
he nor Jay spoke English, so dad's first job was a farm hand to earn a living.
The first ten years in Canada were with little money and difficult. By the time
he was 11, Jay recognized his situation and knew that hard work and excellence
would be the key to a better future. As things improved for father and son in
the following years, Koka had developed a tenacious, driven personality seeking
to achieve success. Success came his way, in part by the inspiration of Julius
Sr. to instill in Jay ways to improve his skills, work and vision; in part by
Jay's love since childhood for mechanical things and drawing; and in part by
Jay's willingness to work hard to achieve his goals. Jay found a position in
the advertising world with a national retailer during his twenties and that
lead to his position as a successful marketing director for a major
international tire company prior to his change to the world of automotive art.
Over time, he gained extensive public relations experience and strong business
management skills. The challenges of the job eventually dwindled and Koka
contemplated the future. To this day Koka believes the greatest disaster in
one's life would be to never seek an answer to the question "what if ...
?"
Koka decided to change his
career and ten years ago took the leap of faith ... one that left the corporate
world behind and brought the world of art to his doorstep. Confident of his
knowledge of business and art, Koka sought new and independent challenges.
Finding inspiration in artists like Claude Monet "for his unmatched ability to
manipulate light and infuse life into his work" and contemporaries such as John
Asaro, Koka began to consistently develop work that has become the building
blocks of his career. Recalling the same commitment that his uncle, Koka Ferenc
mastered to achieve recognition in Europe, Jay Koka has focused on and created
a place in the art world that reflects his love of "paintings that look like
paintings" and the promotion of the "business" of art.
Michael and James 1989, 24x37" (60x77cm) pencil on
board, Artist collection
Annually, Koka completes eight to ten major works honing his
"realism" style with an evolution of color, texture and composition. He
constantly addresses an inner conflict about the purpose of his art,
questioning whether the image should be decorative, informative or evocative
... or all. He seeks to produce images that "treat the eye and challenge the
mind" of the viewer. His commitment to go beyond the expected tells us that the
term "definitive style" is not in the vocabulary of a person who feels art
should always involve risk. Koka's art is found in private, corporate and
museum collections worldwide. His work has achieved historic importance with
honors and awards at automobile events coast-to-coast in places such as Palm
Beach, Meadow Brook and Pebble Beach. Today, the Studio he founded in 1985 is
located on a horse farm in Ontario. Operating simply as 'Jay Koka Studio', he,
his wife Catherine and their two sons Michael and James enjoy a way of life
they have always dreamed about.
Catherine, his wife of twenty-two years, offers the ultimate insight
on Jay Koka. "I was attracted to him because he was handsome, laughed and had a
sense of what was important in life. He has always been intently focused and
self-centered about his work throughout his career, loyal to the importance of
what he is creating or doing. More importantly, his good nature and sensitivity
to our growing family has always met our needs of a spouse and father." Over
the years, Cathy's opinions and thoughts are very important to Jay's artwork as
well as his perception of the world around him.
As you enjoy the pages of this book, contemplate these
words about the substance of the man who has created the art. Contemplate the
images: whether the subtle drawings of the family man of his children and dog
Murphy on these biography pages, or the technical man finessing the details of
a cutaway, or the wonderful talents of the fine art painter expressing the
power and energy of a Ferrari. Koka's broad viewpoint of life has allowed him
to master a spectrum of diversity and style in his work. His image of life has
allowed his image of art to blossom. "I have a life that has been incredibly
well blessed. I have a great family and I enjoy what I do for my livelihood."
Perhaps he thinks this ... as he looks out a mountaintop window wondering what
exists over the horizon.
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k20.ca Introduction | Making the
Artist | 20 Year
Retrospective Gallery | Print
Library | Jay
Koka Studio TEN 
