BILLINGS — The Electric Storm Gallery (ESG) opened its latest exhibition, "Precision/Presence," on Friday evening as part of the most recent Art Walk.
“Stop making sense. You start making sense – we don’t want things to make sense. That’s maybe engineering, or maybe, architectural drawings," said Jon Lodge, who is featured at the ESG, while explaining some of his methodologies as an artist.
Lodge, who is 80-years-old, estimates he has worked professionally as an artist for about 65 years.
“Probably just about anything that happens in the flow of the continuum that is then identified or framed by someone," said Lodge when answering the question, "What is art?"
Kiyomi Eto, a 22-year-old artist also featured in the show, similarly explained "art is everything."
“There is definitely a long time ahead of me," said Eto, who has considered herself a professional artist for five years.
In 1964, Lodge attended the Berkeley College of Music after being nearly drafted during the Vietnam War, where his artistic tastes became accredited as the school's art director.
“I just, by accident, saw a trumpet, and by accident started playing it," said Lodge, "I have a high-frequency loss. Talk about accidents, and luck, and strangeness."
Eto said she hopes to remain inspired to create art throughout her life.
“I get scared that I’m gonna get back into that time where I really didn’t have the motivation to do anything again," said Eto.
Lodge described one of Eto's works as intense and profound.
"This piece has a lot of feeling," said Lodge, "It’s so much about feeling that it’s not really about a portrait of a person.”
Eto described one of Lodge's pieces as unique from both his other works and other artist's art.
“It’s really, kind of like, an illusion piece for sure. It definitely tricks your eye just because when you look at it, you lose focus," said Eto.
