Lois Eby graces the Lobby Gallery

Lost Nation Theater presents Lois Eby’s “Paintings” to complement its World Premiere staging of “Both Eyes Open: The Annie Oakley Story” by Jeanne Beckwith, September 8-18.

 

Lois says:

Growing up in Oklahoma, Annie Oakley was a first role model for me, a woman who wasn't afraid to use her gifts, even when it meant being different or competing with men.  Being an artist requires courage and skill also, and one might say, involves a target that is always moving just out of reach!

 

“Paintings”  will showcase a combination of Ms. Eby’s most recent work and perhaps a glimpse into some of her never seen early works.

 

It’s all in Lost Nation Theater Lobby Gallery

City Hall Arts Center, Main St  wheelchair accessible

 

Lois will be at the ‘opening night celebration’ of Both Eyes Open: The Annie Oakley Story on Sept 9th, and will talk a bit about her work as part of the post production festivities.

"Free In Spirit"

Artist Statement:

When I paint, I strive to keep the surface open, to give it air and breath, not to fill it up too much. And then, within that open space, whether working with an abstract motif or one from life, I want my line and color to have energy, to create something alive, something that moves with rhythm and pulse. I want my paintings, whatever the subject, to have contemplative space and passion for life.

I have developed my approach and language for painting from a wide variety of masters and traditions, from Western painters like Cezanne and Kandinsky to Asian ink painting, especially Zen ink painting, and African American improvised music. Numbers--three and four, for example--are common to music, science and many spiritual traditions and have become part of my language also.

I respond most to artists and musicians who achieve a high level of invention, spirit and energy in their work, qualities which result from knowledge of one’s “instrument” combined with an ability to improvise, or, one could say, from skill plus courage to step out beyond the known. Such artists are not only an inspiration but also a challenge to study my “instrument” and go exploring.

My goal is to create works which are alive: full of spirit, energy and breathing space. I hope for works which become a field of experience perhaps like the surge of life I feel when experiencing love, hearing a great jazz master, or watching the night sky and letting my mind wander to the unimaginable space of universes beyond ours.

digital image of Lois Eby's "Mystery - Suffering and Hope, 2022