A Roya's Studio 8 - Artist Biography

Dr. A. Roya Modesta-Keyhani was born in New York in 1967 to a father who was a academic educator and practicing surgeon and a mother who was a teacher. Her parents were both great educators and had a profound impact on her early development. Her Family moved to Tehran, Iran in 1970 and lived there until 1985. She witnessed first hand the Iranian revolution in 1979. The aftermath of the Iranian revolution and the social decay had a profound effect on her. She was also impacted by the Iran- Iraq war, which ended in the late 1980s. During that time she experienced famine, shortages of basic supplies, and the impact of war and inflation on a society. Her keen observational and analytical skills enabled her to narrate and depict caricatures and satirical work on the declining political and social situation. Unfortunately some of her work did not survive when she migrated to the United States in 1985.

            At an early age she had a keen interest in art.. She has been strongly influenced by the works of Goya, David, and Durer as well as surrealist painter Dali. Thus, she has developed a strong interest in History Painting. Additionally, she was able to witness the political influence of large murals, banners, and propaganda on the society while in Iran. The narratives of these murals have influenced her works significantly insofar as many of her own works are on large canvases. The finer miniature work of Persian miniaturists also had a remarkable influence on her work. In addition to growing up in Iran, extensive travel in Europe and Asia allowed her to explore the interconnection between the Western and the Eastern art worlds firsthand.  She has viewed art in museums in Paris, Florence, Zurich, Geneva, Amsterdam, Venice, Rome, Isfahan and Istanbul. She derives inspiration from other artists as varied  as Rauschenberg, Rothko and Hockney..She has a broad interest in contemporary, conceptual and experimental work. To this effect she is always pushing the envelope of learning and advancing technically.

            After she migrated to the United States in 1985 she began her studies in biochemistry at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated with Cum Laude with honors in Liberal Arts in 1991. Subsequently, she attended Medical School in Toledo Ohio at Medical College of Ohio and received her Medical Doctorate degree with honors in 1995. She completed her training in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona in 1998. After she settled in Phoenix, Arizona she began her private practice. She obtained the distinctive honor of the American College of Physician fellowship in 2005. Throughout her educational journey, she continued to paint and enhance her artistic and creative skills. Most recently she has immersed herself in mixed media and abstract work.

             She pursued her formal art education at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona and has taken courses from 1999-2004. She also continues to improve her technical skills by attending workshops at Scottsdale Artists School. She maintains her studio in the premier art district in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a recognized member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, National Leadership and Honors Organization at Arizona State University. Her work is in national and international private and corporate collections. She has successfully completed various commissions for private collectors and actively works in mixed media. She accepts commissions for private and corporate collectors.