Lois Stone
Abstract Artist
Lois Stone, originally from Birmingham, Alabama, moved with her family to Chicago in the early sixties. She received her elementary and high school education at Catholic schools and graduated from the Academy of Our Lady High School. Lois attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and has resided and worked in the Bronzeville community for the past thirty-eight years.
Her artistic journey began at Ray-Vogue College of Design, where she studied visual merchandising. She further pursued her passion through adult continuing education classes focused on African American Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Additionally, Lois completed a Curatorial Program offered by the Hyde Park Art Center in collaboration with the University of Chicago.
In 1987, Lois was designated an Illinois Artisan. This honor led to her work being exhibited at the Illinois Artisan Gift Shop in the Thompson Center in Chicago and at the Illinois State Gift Shops in Springfield. In 2010, she founded Stone Art Supply, an online store providing brand-name fine art, drafting, and craft supplies for both beginners and professional artists.
Lois expanded her artistic education in 2018 through a year-long course in abstract art with Nancy Hillis in Santa Monica, California. She continued her studies in Hillis's master's class. She is a member of ArtNXTLVL, an artist group founded by Sergio and Dr. Yanina Gomez that offers artist coaching and a community for creative development. She is also part of the Fulton Collective in Chicago. Being involved in these artistic communities has strengthened her practice and helped her develop her unique artistic voice through collaboration.
Originally working primarily in watercolor, Lois quickly expanded to acrylics, mixed media, and surface design. She considers herself largely self-taught and describes her work as abstract, focusing on color, shape, form, and movement. Her art seeks to explore and express the processes of transformation and the humanistic and spiritual changes that occur through intuition and the stream of consciousness. Through her work, Lois hopes to offer viewers an experience beyond words.
In 2023, she joined the Women's Live Art Studio at Navy Pier, a gallery consisting of over 25 female artists in the City of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited there and has been featured in several art shows and exhibitions throughout the United States, including the Spectrum Art Show and the Venice Biennale 2023.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Artist Statement
I am a Chicago-based abstract painter and creative entrepreneur. As a self-taught artist, I have been creating art for over thirty years, exploring a variety of mediums.

Mark-making, color, shape, texture, and form are fundamental to my work. I draw inspiration from music, movement, human emotion, memory, and the natural world. The interplay between thick and thin paint markings reflects the transformations and transitions experienced throughout life.

Without words or representation, I am interested in what emotions or energy the audience experiences while viewing the work. Overall, I strive to convey a visual expression of this energy and inner consciousness of humanity.


Lois Stone