Armonk Artist Donates to NWH to Help Combat COVID-19
By Lindsay Emery
Evan Lorberbaum knows how much Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco has helped tens of thousands of people in the local community.
That’s one reason why Lorberbaum is giving back by selling his paintings and donating 75 percent of the proceeds to the hospital’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
But it’s also out of appreciation for what Northern Westchester did for him. Lorberbaum was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and underwent a manic episode in July 2015, forcing him to be hospitalized. Looking back on his time spent at Northern Westchester, he knew that he wanted to honor the healthcare workers in his own way.
“So this is also part of me giving back to them and being appreciative of how they were able to help me overcome what I was suffering at the time,” said Lorberbaum, an Armonk resident.
As of last week, Lorberbaum had already sold two paintings, donating $2,700 to the hospital. There are about 20 paintings that have been selected as a part of the sale. Lorberbaum does not have a deadline to sell the work, so he can raise as much money as possible.
During the first month or so of the pandemic, Lorberbaum said he wanted to make a difference somehow in his community but initially didn’t know how. When he realized he could hold a charity sale for the hospital by selling his artwork and donating the proceeds, he was delighted to see his idea was well-received.
“This is so much more impactful right now and really just trying to make an impact that is as great as possible in a short amount of time,” Lorberbaum said.
The pandemic has allowed Lorberbaum to focus on his artwork. Beforehand, he mainly painted on the weekends. Lorberbaum works uses acrylic, oil and spray paint and concrete or plaster. He describes his style as abstract expressionism with influences from graffiti, street art, pop art, cubism and pointillism.
“I think in all of my work I definitely try to work with a lot of uplifting emotions and that’s putting vibrant colors or unique mark-making or just something that catches your eye, and I think definitely during this time we all need more positivity wherever we can find it,” he said. “So that’s definitely something I’m doubling down on and wanting to make sure that I can evoke a true positive emotion through the painting.”
Lorberbaum wasn’t interested in art until he went on a trip to Brazil the summer after graduating from Byram Hills High School in 2010. Throughout his childhood, Lorberbaum was focused on being an athlete, but it all changed when he saw the graffiti and street art in Brazil.
“So in Brazil, that’s where I was originally, my mind was blown by the art that was encompassing their culture and embraced there,” he said.
After briefly attending Tulane University, Lorberbaum had the opportunity to finally concentrate on art at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Once enrolled, he studied the Business of Art and Entrepreneurship, with a focus in working in galleries, auction houses and art fairs. It was there that he was able to take advantage of a unique school where he could specially curate his own curriculum and focus on his art.
Lorberbaum works under the moniker ELO, which stands for Encourage, Life, Originality. It is a movement that he embraced after his bipolar diagnosis encouraged him to look at everything that was happening in his life.
“I wanted to take it (the diagnosis) in stride and see how I could turn it into a positive and that’s kind of always something that has kept me motivated throughout my process,” he said.
Lorberbaum would like to raise at least $5,000 for the hospital from the sale of his paintings and is optimistic that he can eclipse that total.
“It would be really great to see if everything got some momentum and see how much we could really raise for the hospital,” he said.
To explore his work that is available for sale for the COVID-19 Relief Sale, visit https://privateviews.artlogic.net/2/23d4967ec30c4997e01ad3/
To learn more about Lorberbaum and his artwork or to contact him, visit https://www.elovisualart.com, e-mail elovisualart@gmail.com or visit on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eloart17.
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