Hello from Lanna and thank you Main Street Arts for inviting me to write a blog in conjunction with the current Fifty Landscapes exhibit.   I am included with three paintings and this is my first blog post – ever!

I would like to give you a little insight into my working process by showing you a couple of stages in the evolution of one of the paintings in this show, “Wooded Path (Hide and Seek).

When I start a painting my visual concept is not set, so I don’t know how it will look in the end or when it will be finished.  I am usually focused on a theme but each painting is like a conversation that uncovers the possibilities as it goes along.

A walk, or a new day can change the course of a painting, kind of like making a soup…….. depends on what you happen to have in the fridge on a given day!  It is a constant renewal.

 Here are two states of Wooded Path (Hide and Seek).

Landscape is an all-inclusive experience for me.  I feel very aware of my presence in a space; that I am surrounded by light, sound, texture, color, the mood of the day, my memories.  I would like my landscape paintings to convey the sense of being “in” a place rather than looking “at” a place.

I use the landscape in which I live as my source for imagery and this particular theme,  a path through arching trees has been occupying me for a while now.  It keeps unfolding and I find it continually interesting to work with.  The place that started this theme is close to my home, a trail in Mendon Ponds Park where I often walk.

I like to sketch and draw on location.  It is a meditation on space for me and this is when I absorb and store the motifs I like to work with.

Here is a drawing I made in this particular part of the park.

Before I close, here is a little background information about me.  I was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and emigrated to the Rochester area with my family when I was 9 years old.  I always wanted to be an artist and so I started studying art early on and all the way through college and have been making art ever since.

 For my next post I will show you more of my process and current work.

Stop by Main Street Arts to see Lanna’s artwork in our current exhibition, Fifty Landscapes (runs through May 13).