Meet Jenny Lanna | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Lanna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, what is the most important factor behind your success?
By far the most important factor behind my success is my work ethic. I’ve always worked hard, no matter what the goal was or the task at hand. With artwork, it can be difficult at times to stay motivated because not every piece is as successful as you hope or is perceived by collectors the way you anticipated. The best way I have found to work through that and be successful is to keep going, every single day, to create and learn as much as possible. This work ethic not only pertains to what happens in my studio, but also outside of it. I strive to ensure my collectors have the best experiences when collecting my art as well as supporting the galleries that represent me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I first began my art journey in my Grandmother’s garden. I would spend hours drawing the many flowers and trees I would see. Being of Japanese decent, I’ve always had a strong appreciation for nature and that imagery is very present in my work today. This is especially true of my Japanese Maple Leaf collection, where each original painting incorporates real Japanese maple leaves that have been preserved and coated in resin. This is a special collection where I only create 1 to 2 pieces a year maximum. Most of my work to date is comprised of the impressionistic palette knife pieces which are shown year round. The heavy texture utilized in my originals are meant to give the same breath and life I always tried to capture in the garden. My dedication to learning my craft began at an early age. I shared my obsession of nature with the human figure and face. I would spend hours drawing portraits, with my first commissioned artwork at the age of 13.
I never officially studied artwork until college, where I surrounded myself with opportunities to learn. I found a way to support myself through art school by learning to tattoo. I would go to school during the day and learn to tattoo at night. At this time, I also worked a job to help support myself and worked any spare hours I could. I became a professional tattoo artist as I was completing my degree and this experience was like no other. I learned more about art and visual decisions from my years tattooing than I did from college. With tattooing, you’re not just creating art, but you’re creating it on a canvas that moves and breathes. Every decision you make, every line and color is permanent. Tattooing also gave me an enormous appreciation for the emotional connection people have with art. Many tattoos are sought out to either celebrate or mourn. Like collecting artwork, the visual imagery connects with them in a way they want forever. Having the opportunity to work with people everyday and hear their stories set me up to be a more insightful artist.
During my years tattooing, I devoted my spare hours working on my painting career. Knowing that I always wanted to be represented by a gallery, I spent time working for one as an art consultant. After spending time working for a gallery, I worked as a studio assistant for other professional artists. I learned very quickly how much more goes into being an artist than just painting. I was juggling several hats at one time, but I kept my head up and my eyes focused. There came a day when I would branch out on my own and approach galleries. I came in humble and ready for critique. After a couple years of balancing my time between my own work and assisting others, I’ve been fortunate to be able to focus on solely my own art for the past 6 years.
Absolutely none of it was easy. Critiques are one of the most essential and difficult parts of creating art. Not just difficult because you are hearing feedback, but the difficulty comes in knowing when to take the critique and make changes and when to stand your ground on how you want to communicate visually. I’ve learned to love the process of being critiqued because it gives me the opportunity to see my own artwork through the eyes of others, providing insight into my own details and sparking new ideas. The best thing anyone can do is to take every opportunity, every success and every misstep as a learning lesson. I’ve used the goal of learning to help me push through barriers and to stay agile, never just sticking to “the plan” because that’s what seems to be the path that should be taken.
Something I would love for the world to know is how honored I feel to be able to share my art with them. When someone collects a painting from me, they’re not just bringing a canvas with paint on it into their home, but rather a part of my life. Every original I create can take anywhere from 20-120 hrs to complete. Not to mention the thousands of hours I spent learning up until that point. When I share my work, I’m sharing a part of my life, the hours spent on that piece will never reappear and each petal of paint or brush stroke reflects the life that put it there. I have collectors worldwide and I feel so honored to be able to have the opportunity to share my work and my life with them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m lucky to live right in the heart of Downtown Orlando. Being in a metropolitan area, you can walk to almost everything here, being able to take in the sites and smells at your own pace. The first thing I would recommend anyone to do is to take a walk around Lake Eola. It’s a beautiful lake with swans and geese and plenty of wildlife to bring a smile to your face. The flowers and trees change so much with the time of day and it’s something I never tire from. If you’re in for something to eat, Pom Pom’s will make you one of the best sandwiches of your life. If you’re in for something sweet, Greenery Creamery is the way to go with their blueberry lavender ice cream and their salted chocolate chip cookies. For drinks, Hanson’s Shoe Repair and Mathers are two speakeasies here that will give you a great cocktail as well as an ambiance to feast your eyes on.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve been very fortunate to have had such amazing influences on my journey, which certainly includes my supportive parents. I also want to thank everyone from Heavenly Inkz Tattoos for giving me a place to flourish and to Art on Duval for giving me my first real stage to show the world what I had to say through paint.

Website: Www.jennylanna.com

Instagram: @jenny.kiku

Facebook: Jenny Lanna Kiku