Lana Frey received her artistic education in the studio of Tolmachev M.S., a renowned artist and honored teacher. As a member of his studio, she participated in exhibitions in Japan and Poland. She later broadened her studies by exploring design and decor.
After completing her formal education, Lana spent a significant amount of time traveling—through Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Georgia, Spain, Italy, and beyond. Along the way, she encountered diverse cultures, people, their personal stories, and local myths and legends. These experiences became a source of deep inspiration, prompting her to begin writing books and poetry.
However, writing alone wasn’t enough to contain the vivid imagery and emotions sparked by her journeys. Memories, shapes, and visions called her back to painting—and she answered.
Lana is deeply inspired by history, myths, and legends, but above all, she is drawn to human emotions. She sees everyday life as a complex and rich tapestry of feelings—love, joy, longing, sorrow—and strives to capture and express these through her art. Using a palette knife, she applies paint in fast, bold strokes, preserving the immediacy and intensity of the emotions she seeks to convey. She avoids pre-planning color schemes or sketching faces, as thick layers of paint make traditional sketching impractical. For her, painting is a spontaneous, living process—pure improvisation.
Continuously experimenting, Lana explores new styles, forms, and subjects. She enjoys combining elements from different artistic traditions, often mixing styles considered "incompatible." As a result, she rarely focuses on just one painting at a time and almost never goes a day without painting. This dedication, along with her vibrant imagination, has been recognized internationally. Her work has been exhibited in cities such as Paris, Rome, New York, Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, and Miami. She looks forward to adding more locations to this growing list.
Lana says, "The secret (to her work) is in throwing paint emotionally on canvas and removing what you don't like while leaving what is beautiful. You then repeat it until you get an artwork."
