Today we’d like to introduce you to Lana Kaufman.
Hi Lana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have been a creative person for as long as I can remember. Even as a child, I was always drawing, imagining, and creating. Creativity was never simply something I enjoyed—it was the way I experienced life. For me, life and creativity have always been inseparable.
About ten years ago, I began painting with oils and deepened my artistic journey by earning a second university degree in Fine Arts, receiving a Master of Arts degree in Ukraine. I also had the privilege of studying with some of Ukraine’s leading artists, who helped shape my artistic vision and technique.
For many years, I traveled around the world seeking places with a special energy. Every destination left an imprint on my heart, and every journey inspired new paintings. I was never interested in simply painting what I saw—I wanted to paint what I felt. My goal was to capture the invisible energy of these places and share that experience through my work.
Over three years, those travels inspired a large body of work that I eventually exhibited in Kyiv. Every canvas carried a memory, an emotion, and a piece of the world as I experienced it.
Art also became a way for me to help others. During my years participating in the Vienna Balls, I donated paintings to charity auctions that raised funds for children in need. What began as a simple gesture became an important part of my life and artistic mission.
Two paintings from those Vienna Ball charity auctions now hang in my Lana’s Cafe that I opened a week ago. I chose to keep them as a reminder of something I deeply believe: times change, life takes unexpected turns, and we may find ourselves in entirely new places, but there is always a way to help others. As long as we keep our hearts open, we can always find the strength and the means to make a difference.
Then everything changed.
My family and I happened to be in Miami when the war began in Ukraine. Like many Ukrainians at that time, we believed we would return home in a few weeks. Instead, those weeks turned into months, and eventually we realized that returning was no longer possible. America became our new home.
Starting over in a new country changed me. As I was processing everything that had happened, I found myself drawn to flowers. At first, I didn’t fully understand why. But eventually I realized that flowers allowed me to express emotions that words could not.
My flowers are not botanical paintings. They are reflections of the human experience. Through them, I tell stories about vulnerability, resilience, loss, hope, and transformation.
One of the most meaningful works in this series is a large-scale painting of a field of dandelions beneath a military drone. The inspiration came after I returned to Ukraine to visit my father and experienced the unsettling feeling of seeing a drone flying overhead. Standing there, I suddenly felt as fragile as the dandelions surrounding me. In that moment, they became a symbol of human vulnerability.
Over time, however, that symbol evolved.
As I healed and rebuilt my life, the dandelion took on a new meaning. Today, it represents freedom, lightness, and trust in life’s journey. No matter where the wind carries its seeds, it continues to grow and bloom. In many ways, that became my story too.
That is what I hope people feel when they stand in front of my paintings—not only beauty, but possibility. Not only emotion, but hope.
Every painting I create is an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with something meaningful inside ourselves. My art reflects my personal journey, but I believe it also speaks to something universal: our ability to transform challenges into growth, uncertainty into freedom, and difficult beginnings into beautiful new chapters.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but looking back, many of the challenges became important turning points in my life.
One of the biggest challenges was starting over after the war in Ukraine began. My family and I were in Miami when the war started, expecting to return home within weeks. Instead, we found ourselves building a completely new life in the United States. Like many immigrants, I had to adapt to a new culture, a new business environment, and a new art market while carrying the emotional weight of everything happening back home.
As an artist, there were also periods of self-discovery. My work changed dramatically over the years—from painting the energy of places I traveled to around the world, to creating deeply personal floral paintings inspired by resilience, freedom, and transformation. Learning to trust that evolution and follow my own artistic voice was sometimes challenging, but it ultimately led me to the work I create today.
At the same time, I have balanced two very different worlds: art and hospitality. Building a business while continuing to grow as an artist requires discipline, patience, and the ability to keep creating even during difficult times.
What I’ve learned is that challenges don’t necessarily stop us from moving forward. Sometimes they help us discover who we are, what matters most, and what we are truly meant to create.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am both an artist and entrepreneur, but creativity has always been the thread connecting everything I do. Through my paintings, I explore emotion, energy, transformation, and the beauty of the human spirit.
I am best known for my large-scale floral paintings, particularly my dandelion series. While flowers are the visual subject of my work, they are really symbols of human experiences. Each painting tells a story about resilience, freedom, hope, vulnerability, and personal growth. My goal is not simply to create something beautiful, but to create artwork that people can emotionally connect with and see themselves in.
What sets my work apart is that it comes from lived experience. My paintings are deeply influenced by my travels around the world, my fascination with the energy of people and places, and my journey through displacement, rebuilding, and transformation after the war in Ukraine. Every piece carries a personal story, but also speaks to something universal.
One of the things I am most proud of is being able to use art as a force for good. For many years, I have donated artwork to charity auctions supporting children in need, and that commitment remains an important part of who I am. I believe art should not only inspire—it should also create positive impact.
I am also proud of building a life where art and community come together. Today, my paintings are displayed in Lana’s Cafe, where people from different backgrounds gather, connect, and share experiences. I love seeing art become part of everyday life rather than something that only exists inside galleries.
More than anything, I hope people walk away from my work feeling lighter, more hopeful, and more connected to themselves. If a painting can make someone pause, take a deep breath, and see beauty or possibility where they didn’t before, then I feel I’ve succeeded as an artist.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I don’t think of myself as a reckless risk-taker, but I do believe that growth rarely happens inside our comfort zones.
Looking back, some of the most important moments in my life began with uncertainty. One of the biggest risks I took was pursuing art seriously later in life. I already had an established career and business experience, but I chose to return to university, earn a Master of Arts degree, and dedicate myself to developing as a professional artist. There were no guarantees that it would lead anywhere—I simply knew it was something I had to do.
Another major risk was creating an entire exhibition inspired by my travels around the world. For three years, I invested my time, energy, and resources into a vision that existed only in my imagination. I believed in the project long before anyone else could see it. Fortunately, that belief led to a successful exhibition in Kyiv and became an important milestone in my artistic journey.
Of course, the greatest challenge was one I never planned for. When the war began in Ukraine, my family and I suddenly found ourselves building a new life in the United States. Starting over in a new country requires a different kind of courage. You leave behind familiarity, relationships, and certainty, and you learn to trust yourself in a completely new environment.
That experience changed the way I think about risk. Today, I see risk not as something to fear, but as something to understand. Every meaningful opportunity comes with uncertainty. The question I ask myself is not, “What if I fail?” but rather, “Will I regret not trying?”
In both art and life, some of my most rewarding experiences began with a leap of faith. If I have learned anything, it is that uncertainty often opens the door to possibilities we could never have planned for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lanakaufmanart.com
- Instagram: Lanakaufmanart
