About
Lois Pendleton

Artist Statement :

I am an artist. I know this to be true because my high school principal told me so.  I never really felt entitled to call myself an artist, until my principal acknowledged me at the door of our 25th class reunion with, “Oh! It’s Lois, the artist.” Her recognition encouraged me to embrace my love of art making, and to really make it part of my life’s journey.

I also know that I am a “verb”, not a “noun”.

Several years after my high school reunion, I was having dinner with a work colleague.  I shared with her some of my experiences from the previous week, and my resulting frustration. I had met Julia Child, the “queen of the culinary world”, who was completely focused on the preparation and presentation of extraordinary food. I had watched a renowned landscape architect give a lecture while selectively arranging a giant bouquet of cuttings from an arboretum. His focus was so sharp that he could create a botanical masterpiece while speaking to an auditorium full of people. And, I had enjoyed an inspiring watercolor workshop with an artist at Daniel Smith’s in Seattle. The demonstrator was such a master of his craft that he quickly, and efficiently, completed several extraordinary examples of his techniques. I lamented to my friend that I loved exploring all three of the disciplines I had observed, but had mastered none of them. She sighed and said, “Some people are nouns, and some people are verbs. You are a verb!” Her enlightenment encouraged me to enhance my art-making pursuits by experimenting with encaustics, fiber, paper collage, acrylic paint, and glass mosaic. I don’t have to be a master of one; I can be a life-long student of all of them.  I like to color outside of the lines.

I hope my story helps explain the diversity of this show, which is inspired by nature and my recent travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Pyrenees in Spain, and magical Morocco. Enjoy what you see.