We are often unaware that we live in gaps between stories that play like CDs in our minds. These stories are from our past or current news reports or from social media. They often repeat themselves preventing us from knowing who we are, what we can do, or enjoying life.
Lolly Owens paints the story that comes from quieting the mind and entering that gap. Owens becomes an explorer who arrives through the meditation process. She gets to be a visual interpreter creating art that allows a glimpse into a different perspective; awareness; or the sense of being in a place of mystery. She hopes her art inspires others to look within to see light in a world often filled with darkness.
In 2020, when the pandemic closed our world, Owens, her husband, a parrot, a cat and drove from their home of over 20 years in Florida to Pennsylvania, first Pittsburgh for one year and now Canonsburg which is south of downtown Pittsburgh. In Florida Owens taught abstract art at Art Center Sarasota, Art Center Manatee, and the Longboat Center for the Arts. In 2019 she was Area 3 Director of the Florida Artists Group, Inc. founded in 1949. Area 3 planned and hosted the 69th Annual Exhibition and Symposium at the Ringling College of Art & Design which was attended by hundreds of Florida state artists.
Now that they are in Canonsburg, Owens is re-establishing her abstract art teaching with an hour demo on February 9, 2023 at the McMurray Art League in McMurray, PA and will teach a two-day workshop there in the Fall, 2023.
She is represented by JJ Gillespie Gallery, est. 1832, in McMurray, PA
Her work is displayed both nationally and internationally, most recently in St. Alberts Gallery in St. Alberts, Canada with the International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA). She is a Nautilus Fellow Member of ISEA which means six of her works have been accepted into international exhibits. She is also a member of the National Association of Pen Women, art member of Santa Clara, CA branch.
In addition to PA and FL, Owens has lived in New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Washington where nature, the landscapes and master artists have informed her art. She is a graduate of Chatham College (now University) in Pittsburgh.
"I feel everyone ought to have real art, not a reproduction. Real, original art gives you a peek into the artist's thoughts, dreams or experiences. It allows the viewer to share their heart."
Statement
As food feeds the body, my paintings intend to feed the spirit.
I was blessed to have grown up in an Italian restaurant business in Pittsburgh, PA so knowing the elements of a good meal came easily and naturally. Knowing the elements of my art took time, mentoring and meditation. My materials are like food ingredients but not edible: acrylic paints, mediums, oil sticks, pastels, inks, pencils and paper. The fascinating subjects of my work are the elements of the soul: gratitude, humility, love, peace, courage, joy and strength. One or more of the elements reveals itself after meditating. The magic of the process keeps me coming back to my studio day after day.
copyright 2023
www.LollyOwens.com