Eva is a native of Johnstown. She received her Bachelors Degree of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. From there, she went on to study with the missions organization, Youth With A Mission. There she focused her studies and outreach on creative ministry. Her next step was as Director of Youth with a Mission in Philadelphia PA, where she had the opportunity to travel the globe.  She found staggering needs and problems in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia.

All this confirmed her core belief that art inspires all of us, especially people who live in extreme circumstances and who have suffered emotional trauma. As Eva says: “Creativity itself is a divine branding on human beings, linking our image to the likeness of a Creator. … I pursue to express a vivid sense of hope through the art that I make. Hope is an anchor to my soul. … I make art in celebration of life.”

Today Eva Trout is proprietor of Firebox Art Studios in Carnegie, PA, a uniquely vibrant and inspirational  art gallery featuring original works from over thirty national and western Pennsylvania artists, from emerging to mid career levels. Eva’s business card reads: Artist, Missionary, Teacher. She undertakes each of these roles and often talks with aspiring artists about the “Humanity of Art.” Click here for an audio interview with Eva conducted by Gallery on Gazebo staff member Cassidy Polacek. Featured below are some of the pieces that were displayed in this exhibit.