Liz Onken – Tea in Istanbul

This exhibition round includes works provided by Liz Onken which will be on view in the Third Floor West Gallery from July 16 – September 20, 2025.  Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public.  The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you!  The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 20 from 5-7 pm.

 

About the exhibit:

Tea in Istanbul is a visual diary—an abstracted love letter to a city that overwhelmed my senses and opened my eyes. This collection reflects on my time as a foreign painter immersed in the rich, layered world of Istanbul: a place where ancient empires meet modern rhythms, and where every street corner holds a burst of color, scent, or sound.

Through vibrant palettes, textured surfaces, and dynamic forms, these works capture the chaos and cohesion of a city alive with history and daily ritual. From the deep reds of street-side spices to the pastel shimmer of tile mosaics, from the tangled geometry of architecture to the soft intimacy of sharing tea, each piece is a translation of sensory experience into visual language.

The paintings shift between representation and abstraction, reflecting how I navigated this unfamiliar city—sometimes clearly, sometimes intuitively. Wandering through Istanbul felt like moving through a living mosaic, a patchwork of empires and cultures, where cats nap beside centuries-old ruins and the scent of baklava drifts past contemporary storefronts.

At the heart of it all: tea. A moment of stillness and warmth amid the movement. This show is a meditation on discovery, observation, and the beauty of getting lost.

 

About the artist:

Liz Onken is an abstract expressionist painter based in Huntsville, Alabama. She earned her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in painting and drawing from Auburn University and continued her studies in Rome, where she deepened her understanding of art history and traditional techniques.

Named Emerging Artist of the Year in 2018 by World Art Collector magazine, Liz is known for her bold abstract paintings, as well as her mixed media and textile-based works. Her art has been exhibited in galleries across the United States and abroad.

After years of working and studying in other cities, Liz is excited to return to her hometown, where she continues to create and exhibit work inspired by both her Southern roots and international experiences.