Give Hope Collection to LBBC from WHBM

WHBM

LIVING BEYOND BREAST CANCER (LBBC) has connected
countless people to the resources they need to transform the experience of a diagnosis into a journey of support, friendship and inspiration.

I'm very happy to share this new collection from the White House Black Market website with you my dear friends! Being a part of this creative collaboration for a good cause means a lot to me.  To translate ideas is magic.  It takes so long to make an easy flowing painting, to make sure the painting is done well. But when you add meaning to your work it is worth every minute! I would like to share with you more about what is the meaning behind these creations.  The butterfly is very symbolic. The spiritual meaning of the butterfly is their ability to transcend through a process (metamorphosis). The butterfly embraces the changes of her body, her power of transformation, shape shifting and soul evolution. The butterfly metaphorically asks us to accept the changes in our lives to keep our faith through these life altering transitions. The butterfly relates very powerfully as a symbol of a woman going from breast cancer diagnosis to treatment and on to recovery.  In my design the butterflies are transforming from the black (dark time) and to a beautiful pink one.

" perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness and become something beautiful."

One quote really inspired and resonated with me and WHBM: " Just when the butterfly thought the world is over, it become a beautiful butterfly".  

I'm honored to be a part of this awareness and fundraising effort and also to be invited to the Butterfly Ball, the annual black-tie gala this October in Philadelphia. The Butterfly Ball is LBBC's most important fundraising event of the year. I hope to share more about this wonderful event with you soon!  Butterfly themed paintings and other pieces in my collection can viewed and purchased at my store on Etsy. For the month of October I am offering a 10% discount on all items purchased from my Lana'sArt ETSY site.  Just enter coupon code "BUTTERFLY" to get your discount during direct checkout. With Love, Lana

Umbrella @WHBM

THAT'S A WRAP!

Hello my lovelies! Back from my break during the summer months. In July I visited Russia and then to heavy workload and regular sales which has kept me from social interaction here. But as time returns to normal, I will be updating you on the news and hopefully keep you more inspired. I have great pictures posted on IG about my Russian trips, so please visit me there for more current posts.

Over the past years I've travel to Paris, London, Moscow, Russia, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and more. All along the way I created Illustration of the sights that inspire me! Thanks to the Etsy, I'm able to share my creations with you, and also I'm able to offer them in the variety of print sizes for your wall in my store here.

Ps. More cities to come, I'm just deciding where I want to travel next? Where do you think I should go?

I've been a busy bee preparing for new website ... but it is seems like I'm going in circles of unfortunate choices. I would like to keep my personal shop here on Etsy, and be a part of this community with my teams that are here already :) but I would like to move slowly to the personal page from blogspot platform.  I'm not so sure which to pick and it is more in details here and there. I like to collect all those pro and cons from experts, and if you have any experience with online social please share with me in the comments!

 as alway with love, Lana

New Watercolors from Tropical Bliss Collection

I love the creative process behind all my spontaneous watercolors. My surroundings and my travel experiences provided me with tons of new inspirations last week and I could not wait to get back to my studio and find myself with my ink and pen for a few days!  Once I recovered from this "creative stroke", I realized that all these pieces are my story and they captured those precious moments of perfect escape. I hope that my creations can provide special memories for you or simply take you on a journey to a new place.  Back in the studio I continue to experiment daily, so follow my updates on IG @lanasartstudio and check back often for my new artwork and prints at my shop: lanasart.etsy.com 

For more about my creative vision and inspiration, read in in a recent blog interview here.

Thank you Sharon! For all my lovelies waves from sunny Florida! with love, Lana

New Day, New Week, New Perspective....

Taking time to live life will only inspire your work, so I'm taking this week ( a few days) to spend time with my sweetheart at a beautiful beach resort and I will keep my mind open for new inspirations.  In terms of sales, I had a very interesting week with orders from: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece and Singapore .... I am a global company, like Apple or GE!   You guys are amazing with your love and appreciation of my work ...  I'm reaching almost 800 followers on Instagram and you know what that means .... when I reach  the 1k sales plateau, I will randomly give away a print from my collection - details to follow! Wishes for a beautiful week and much love!
- Lana

...and they lived happily ever after.

Hello my dear friends!!!  Currently I'm working on my new fashion sketchbook and here is a sneak peek from some of the sketches I've done. To able to translate ideas in to something visually new is magic! It takes so long to make an easy flowing painting, to make sure the ideas and execution is done effortlessly... I hope it shows here...

Sometimes I wish I could close my eyes, tap my heels 3 times and land in the one of my San Francisco and Napa Valley, CA inspired illustrations.  I always will love SF!  I found great inspiration but so little time on my trip, I would like to return again by the end of summer .... or maybe Fall.  My husband and I will be in Beverly Hills again in September, so perhaps we will take another wine tour in the Southern California .... or another Balloon Ride:)  It was a lot of fun and very romantic.

If you like to see my pictures from that trip, I posted daily updates in my instagram @ lanasartstudio
I found it more convenient to unload my art process/daily inspiration on IG and it is easier to keep in touch with my followers as well.   So, please follow me there and leave a comment if you have any advice on your social media experiences.

And as always I love to see your feedback for my work, and especially for the custom pieces.

( you can contact me directly at lanasart@yahoo.com about custom paintings... but during the summer month spaces are limited)

Most of the time I'm so involved with my work, and don't often enough remember to thank you who trust in me. You are the reason for why I do what I do, and I'm so grateful for all your comments and feedback - it means a lot to me! with love, Lana

New watercolors from my art a day challenge

Hello my friends! As you probably notice my latest absence this week, I have been busy with custom work and creative challenges.  But as my b-day approaches this weekend, I have decided to post something fun and little bit personal.  To get started ...  here are my favorite quotes (not original to me, but I hope you will find them inspiring)

Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going!

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. 

Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found. 

-James Russell Lowell

Drawing is a valuable life skill - it helps you think, invent and communicate - 

regardless of our age or ability. 

Only mediocrities progress.  An artist revolves in a cycle of masterpieces, the first of which is no less perfect than the last! - Oscar Wilde 

Actually I turned to art as plan B after stubbing my toe on my first passion - ballet!   As a young ballerina, I agonized over my failure to live up to the ideal feminine overachiever.   Often I would sit in the corner and do some sketches of the dancers (just like Degas, but I only found out this analogy much later).  My favorite subject is dancers and the female subject with subtle movement and sometimes vulnerability, and I have filled my home with paintings!

If colors were dating, subtle shades of black and pink would be the perfect couple for me!  Sometimes no combination is bolder and more delicious than opposites.  Pink is so feminine that it shouts princess while black is so masculine and the real bad boy of color!  You'll see these two colors in a lot of my paintings.

P.S. I hope you enjoyed my little journey here ( all collection of ten pieces see in my IG with daily posts) and I will see you soon with new updates and more special announcement about my new work and lovely Mothers Day dedication... but it is later :)   xx, Lana

Latest updates from my art studio ....

Hello my lovelies,

As February is almost over and so many things are happening in my studio, I feel like my blog is not getting as much attention as I'd like.  I'm busy traveling, doing custom paintings and working on new collaborations with my clients.  So, I will have to be very brief with my posts and latest updates.

More new original paintings inspired by my forever love of Paris are posted in my shop: lanasart.etsy.com  Get a slice of Paris for your wall! These new large prints are absolutely amazing ... love the texture, colors and the look stays very true to the original!  I'm so excited to add them to my shop - for a limited time only!

My IG circle is growing (most of the time I find it even more convenient than any other social media tool, I don't even know why it took me so long to get started :) ... with new daily updates @lanasartstudio 

Commissions have always been a part of my art life, although I'm doing fewer and fewer due to my work load at the moment.  As a painter for 25 years I've had numerous clients (from larges churches, investment companies, largest collectors of art, etc.) and I never take for granted the love and joy these projects bring and the loyalty of my many returning clients.  I would like to share a recent email with you here and I must admit it brought tears to my eyes (I'm very sentimental if you have not guessed yet:) "I received my two prints late yesterday.  Thank you SO very much!  I love them both;  I was beyond delighted to receive "tulipmania" in a larger size!!!!!  I waited all January for you to return from vacation!!!!!  I had wanted that print for ages!!!!!  I absolutely love all of your work, and even have some things in my cart to order in March!  I am a (......) young interior decorator, who is trying to "do" a bedroom on  a budget!!!!!  Not an easy task in Arkansas!!!!!  At any rate, thanx again and you will be seeing another order soon!!!!!  -V.

Last but not least, I'm so excited to give you a hint of another new collaboration with White House Black Market for their Fall Collection, but this is in the process of development, so stay tuned for more updates on this very exciting project....

As always, thank you for visiting and please be kind to leave me your comment,
with love, Lana

Romantic Bliss Continues ...

Hello My Friends! It is seems like Valentine's Day is just around the corner and today I have a special treat for you. These new pieces are from my Romantic Bliss collection for this special occasion and may be just what you like. If you interested in seeing more, please go to my shop 

I must be feeling sentimental lately ... all my new art pieces are filled with nostalgia and a sense of romance.  I posted this new piece last weekend and it has already sold. This Parisian inspired painting found a landing place in the beautiful state of Kentucky.  It 's so nice when my work finds a permanent home.  They are better out in the world, hopefully brightening peoples spaces and bringing back some happy memories!  Safe travel dear "French Kiss"!

If my work inspired you to ask about a custom piece - This is how the custom portrait process works: You send me an email from here or convo from etsy shop telling me as much about your idea as you want to - every little bits help: personality, stories, colors, all that. You can send photographs if you like.  Depending on my current schedule, it can take up to 2-3 weeks after you buy the listing for me to complete the piece and mail it to you. You will receive one 10 x 14 or 16 x 20 sized original watercolor.  The piece will be signed by me unless you request otherwise.

Check the images above to see if you like my style. As you can see, I work in a loose, semi-abstract style, so you will NOT have an exact reproduction of your photograph, but rather a loose interpretation based on what you told me about your subject and the images you sent me. 

As always my hugs and sweet wishes to all! What is your favorite Valentine's Day memories? 

xx, Lana

Goodbye 2014... Hello 2015!

Today is the first Monday in January and my first post of 2015.  I made a new year's resolution and I will be starting a year long project " tips and tricks of blogging for artists" ... and I hope you will come along for the fun and we all learn some new things along the way ... stay tuned!

My Etsy Shop

I realize that I'm not a professional blogger ... and it's not to in my plans to be such.  I love to just do art, but creating art is not the only thing artists have to do.   As any professional artist will tell you - there are many hats to be worn.  So, this year I will share my blogging tips and tricks on a monthly basis with the goal of helping new artists or bloggers with the challenges they might face.

I don't like to be predictable in my blog posts, but I would like to be more cohesive with my postings schedule.  Last year I tried to post weekly and sometimes failed and it brought guilt, then disappointment ... so this year I will commit to twice monthly postings.  Also, as you noticed, my blog is about my art and the things that inspire me.   I will continue to post my museums trips, and my personal work ... all of which will be seen thru my life experiences and my personal travel plans.  Right now I have 3 destinations in my plans for this year : San Francisco in early spring - I'm looking to create a series of romantic pieces and hope to be inspired by the things that I see and feel there.  A European tour in May (Paris included!) ... I'm certain that many new memories and inspirations await me there!  I hope to end the summer in Russia with my mother and enjoying her delicious cooking.  So until then I continue to plan and dream and of course hope for many surprises and opportunities to come along as well!   So as my 2015 begins, I'm reminded that the journey is not about the destination, it's more about enjoying the ride! :)

Lana Moes Umbrella

Last year I had amazing opportunities work with the White House Black Market team. You never know who might be seeing your work online! As you see from my FB or Instagram posts, WHBM has created several items based on my Paris related art that are now appearing nationwide in their stores and I'm so extremely happy and thankful for this great collaboration with WHBM.
 (Credit for photos below belong WHBM website )

As for my friends and followers - May your coming year be filled with magic, joy, and great memories! I hope you kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful ... and don't forget to make some art - draw, or write, or build, or live as only you can.  And I hope somewhere in the next year, you will surprise yourself. May you have a peaceful and focused week ahead and see you around! with love, Lana