Lana Schuster Paintings

‘Almost Spring’, a Federation of Canadian Artists (COC) gallery show, starts tomorrow and runs until March 31. Two of my pieces are in this show at the Grizzli Winery. All works can be viewed at the winery and on-line. Driving through another snowfall to drop off paintings today made us all wonder if it is almost spring! #abstractart #abstractartist #landscapepainting #abstractpainting #bcart #bcartist #bcartists

I’ve updated my website, adding a couple dozen new paintings. What better way to spend a Friday night these days ;) If you think of any better title for paintings let me know. www.lanaschuster.com #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcarrist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitartist #vernonarts

Day 21 - Last Day of #21daysinmyartworld with @taraleaver and the prompt is ‘Big Dream’ ..... mine is a huge studio with soaring high ceilings, lots of wall space and easels so I can have numerous big works on the go, windows to the north with a spectacular view, a proper big double sink, counters and cupboards galore, and a mezzanine for something, maybe storage and a big comfy couch and my library. Something like this, without the window panes. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? It sure is fun to dream about! Thank you Tara for organizing this challenge - it’s been great is so many ways! #21daysinmyartworld #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver

Day 20- A Favourite Technique - Making Drips! It’s pretty fun sometimes to spray water on acrylic paint and see what happens. If the paint is really thick it may run down with the water lines (like in the first photo) or if it’s thin the water may push the paint away to reveal what’s underneath (next two photos). The lines may be parallel or go off at angles, especially if you rotate the painting. And if you turn the painting after it’s dry, you can get some interesting lines to work with for landscapes. It’s just kind of mesmerizing to watch where it goes, how it adds interesting texture and line, and who know what can happen from there? #21daysinmyartworld #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 19 - From the Archives - This painting’s about 15 years old. I was teaching full time and dying to paint, and of course, couldn’t find the time. During a trip to Whistler when the boys were in a ski camp I was inspired by the flowers there, and desperate to paint them I bought a big canvas and paints and painted this on the kitchen counter. It’s interesting to see how stylized it was. I remember having fun painting it, but I don’t think I ever painted this way again. It’s long gone and I’m glad I have a photo of it to remind me of my beginnings, and that I enjoyed the process. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 18 - Celebrate! Today’s challenge is about something Tara suggests we don’t do enough of and that is to Celebrate. Celebrate bringing forth what’s inside us and creating something from nothing. This painting was a lonely birch panel a few days ago. I’ve been wanting to paint a long narrow painting for a while now, but couldn’t figure out what to do. Flipping through photos on my phone last week, a sliver of one of them popped up. It was from a trip ho...me to the prairies this past summer when the canola fields were everywhere in their glory. So that was my inspiration to finally paint a long narrow painting. And it was really fun, I hope/plan to do more this way. This one is 48x18 inches. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver See more

#21daysinmyartworld Day 17 - Largest Painting I do love to paint large paintings with big brushes and charcoal sticks and pastels about an inch thick in diameter. This piece was painted on a 72x48 inch wood panel with those fat charcoal sticks, graphite and acrylic paint. I get a thrill out of making big sweeping marks and this piece was really fun to create. It sold quickly and I never did get a decent photograph of it - the background is pure white. A father and son bought it as a surprise birthday gift for their wife/mother - what wonderful guys. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver @taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 14 - ‘Sold’ is the theme for this day. Here’s one of the last ones painted and sold in 2020, displayed at the owner’s home. It’s one in a series of four oil and cold wax paintings, all in shades and tints of pink. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver @taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 16 - Smallest Painting - I don’t really like painting small. But I have painted a few 8x10 still lifes in the past and come to think of it I kind of remember enjoying painting them. My other way of getting small paintings is by cutting them out of larger ones and either displaying them as a group or in their own. Examples of these are in the last three photos. The tall narrow ones are the smallest at 10x2.5. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver @taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 15 - How I Name My Paintings - Giving a name to a painting can be such a challenge. If it’s about a person, place, or something I know it can be pretty easy, but more intuitive works such as landscapes from my imagination or abstract pieces can be trickier. The name can relate to the story behind the painting, or it can be something that evokes a feeling. An exploration of the color yellow was titled ‘Yellow Field’. Sometimes a buyer will even help me decide what to call it. Here’s a new little unnamed landscape. What would you call it? #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver @taraleaver

#21daysinmyartworld Day 13 - Process Insight What is my process? Oh it’s so varied. I’m still trying to figure it out. Journaling, like this art challenge is helping clarify. I thrive on variety. I have so many things I want to paint and say and it’s challenging to say the least. Writing this post is challenging! I go back and forth between two very different processes. One is a planned, methodical approach where the composition is planned - photos cropped, objects arrange...d, drawings made to figure things out - where is everything, relationships, negative spaces, shapes, sizes, values, colours. After that is figured out, I do a painting. This is often my process for still lifes, landscapes & portraits. With abstracts it is a completely different approach. I can hardly even tell you what I do, it’s so intuitive. Sometimes I’ll start by listening to music and drawing gestural lines, then paint with a limited palette. Or I might just start exploring a color I like or do something completely new, like gluing cheesecloth patches on the canvas to see what might come of that. And then I just keep exploring and stepping back to see what’s been happening, and on and so forth. Sometimes I take photos along the way and sometimes I forget and then when the painting is done I can hardly remember how it all happened and it would have been kind of neat if there was a camera rolling in the background so I could hit playback, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be a candid shot. What has my process told me about myself, about my art, about my life? That even though I can plan something out, the end results may be different than what I was envisioning. And that’s okay. The main thing is, did I believe & trust in myself and enjoy & trust in the process? And when I’m done for the day, am I okay with the results, whether or not I’m happy with them? Can I be accepting of them, of myself, no matter what the outcome? #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts #taraleaver @taraleaver See more

#21daysinmyartworld Day 11 - Turning Point - The big one for me was when I made the decision to change my career from teaching to learning. Don as always was 100% behind me and helped me transform one of our spare empty nester bedrooms into my studio. This was the first painting I created in it. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitart #portraitartist #vernonarts

#21daysinmyartworld Day 12 - Motif(s) Current Motif(s) is the topic for today’s 21 Days in My Art World Challenge. Circular and oval shapes have been one for me in many of my abstract works. I used to wonder why, and why I couldn’t get them out of my system, but like so many things I’m learning to accept them in my search for equanimity over turmoil. Since I bought my big favourite paint brush I’ve also realized how much I love making big sweeping curvilinear marks. This has been a good post for me. Just reflecting on this makes me want to go into the studio and make some big sweeping circles and wavy lines. Thank you @taraleaver for creating this challenge. #abstractart #abstractartist #bcart #bcartist #landscapeart #landscapeartist #portraitartist #vernonarts