About the Artist Loba C. Chudak is a fiber/multi media artist specializing in hand painted silk. As a classically trained concert flutist she holds a masters degree in flute performance from the University of Hamburg, Germany, where she performed at the ‘Staats Oper’ with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra for a number of years. Artists Statement My desire to paint is informed by my life as a flutist working with the breath. Vibrancy and vitality, shape and dynamic within movement, color and sound are central subjects for me. The same elements present in nature - a sense of tranquility, deep satisfaction and joy that come from the experience of being in close contact with the earth - all this supports and nurtures my work. My florals and nature scenes are often inspired by the grasses and flowers of Illinois and Wisconsin. Yet any moment conceived in nature, be it luscious fullness, a dynamic shape or a vibrant color of life, they all speak to my work. I equally enjoy abstract painting just as I love to perform a free style improvisation or a meditation on the flute. As a musician I have always played and listened in color, a rich turquoise green Debussy or earthy and ethereal Bach. I started to paint early on in my life as a musician and was led to discover silk as the most fitting medium. It allows the translation of sound into the movement of the paint, the brush, the whole person. As both flutist and visual artist, breath is the basic vehicle of my work. Movement from the core extending out. Breath breathes sound, breathes movement, dances color. So does silk, its rich and luscious texture receives and activates the colors that come together into a moment celebrating the deep texture of life, vitality and joy.