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Louie Laskowski by Stephanie Funcheon About the Artist The art experience is both my quest and reward. It is what I choose to do to be a better me. And that message is what I offered my students, too. Art is a way of knowing and accepting one's self, and a way to grow. My first memory about making art was at the age of four when I felt the emotion of envy. At the time, I was in the hospital waiting for tonsil surgery. I heard some parents tell their child that her coloring was beautiful. For some unknown reason, I wanted my parents to say how beautiful my coloring was, too. Throughout my young life, I spent hours on my coloring-books, exploring crayons down to the nubs, overlaying, and exploring what colors can do. The next influential memory, I remember, was the day my father brought home a "real" oil painting. This painting captured my imagination. I wondered how one could paint so magically - how they could blend colors so magnificently. The details in the picture were amazing and miraculous to me. I didn't know how any human could paint like this; I was awed and studied it carefully for years. Another influence was my mother. She had started working with oils following the instructions of the paint-by-number sets. Mom's work looked great, and when rheumatic fever struck me at the age of nine, Mom gave me an oil painting kit of horses. During the many months of recovery, she taught me neatness, and how to handle the brush and the paints. I fell in love with painting. As an adult, I received my Bachelors and Masters in the Arts from Purdue University. Around the age of thirty, I started to question the need for art philosophically, "Why am I making more stuff to pile or stack somewhere, unseen?" This disconnection left me feeling empty. As a teacher, I became more interested in the political world of education and legislation. My energies were more appreciated; the interactions were more substantial and more motivating. I served my students by teaching ceramics, drawing and painting, commercial design, photography, and portfolio development. Locally, teachers elected me as president of the union and later to the Indiana State Teacher's Association Board. After eight years, I decided to disengage from her political commitments, and again connect with my art. I felt soul-sick, and I needed to heal. Politics was draining me. I needed time to renew and reach within to grow spiritually. From my public experiences, I resolved my questions about the value of art. I realized that art was about one's interior life searching for greater understanding as a human being; the result is a product that embodies this involvement. In other words, I perceived that art brings together the skills and knowledge of a mind, a heart, and the body to create greater wisdom. The art experience is both my quest and reward. Achievements include: Winning an Eli Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship, twice; a five-time-winner of the Indiana Arts Commission Individual Artist Grant; recipient of the Clowes Fellowship, and the Lafayette Art Museum Fellowship of Indiana; chosen as one of twelve women artists representing Indiana at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, 2000; member of Gallery 84, New York City; Woman Made Gallery International Exhibitor & member, Chicago; North Adams Contemporary Artist Center Grant, Massachusetts; recipient of numerous art competitions' awards, and invitation & solo exhibitions. Laskowki lives in Brookston, IN. She is presently writing a book called, “The Pink House, A Memoir of Soulwork Through Art & Writing." Louie is a graduate of the Women's Thealogical Institute, 2015, and is an ordained Reverend of the Arts, Reformed Congregation of the Goddess Incorporated, Madison, WI, 2017. Louie Laskowski Studio P.O. Box 428 307 Railroad Street Brookston, IN 47923 (765) 563-6577 E-mail: louie@dcwi.com LOUIE LASKOWSKI is an Indiana Arts Commission Fellowship Recipient All artwork and code Copyright 2020 Louie Laskowski No part of this document may be copied or used without express written permission of the artist.