Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Lacy.
Hi Vanessa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a part of the Kansas City art community since I graduated college in 2007. I was part of the Art Incubator in the Bauer building where I had my first art studio downtown in the Crossroads. Later, I spent 13 years in the Livestock Exchange building where I had various art studios and for six years owned and operated my namesake gallery, Vanessa Lacy Gallery. I enjoyed hosting monthly receptions and building up the community of artists there. I created internship opportunities for college students that I would mentor during this time.
Currently, I am working with the LEOPOLD Art Gallery since 2021. My current art studio is on the second floor above the Leedy Voulkos Art Center, and I am open on First Fridays for visitors. I also paint time in the space and teach adult oil painting lessons once a month.
My artwork can be found throughout the city in banks, hospitals, offices and private homes throughout the country. One of my largest commissions is 11 paintings in KU Med’s Cambridge Tower, A, which were permanently installed in 2017. Since working with the Leopold Gallery I’ve placed my work in CrossFirst Bank in Leawood and in D and K Law office in The Lightwell Building as well as the top floor of One Kansas City Place Building where Heartland’s office has one of my largest pieces to date.
I love to paint places because every scene has a different story attached for each unique viewer. I love hearing from my art collectors about their emotional connections to these places and the memories they bring up. Mainly I paint cityscapes of downtown Kansas City where I spend most of my time. However, when I travel, I paint the places I travel to. I spent three months in Spain last year and painted some of the beautiful old villages and did lots of hiking. I’m planning on leading a painting retreat for my students in Spain in 2027 where we will hike and paint outdoors and some very beautiful places involving mountains, castle ruins, olive and orange orchards, and beaches.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a long journey! But I knew I was born an artist and nothing could deter me. I think one day I will write a memoir about the ups and downs of being an artist full-time, and before that, the pursuit of being an artist full-time. I’ve had to lean into and become comfortable with discomfort, challenges and frugality.
It took a long time for me to get to where I am at today. I am a full-time painter and debt free with the freedom to travel and paint as much as little as I like. But I would say that part of me never really relaxes, knowing that I can’t fully control all of the factors that make this possible. Overtime, you outgrow your mentors and the world changes around you and it gets difficult to know what the next step is. But that’s what makes life such an adventure!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I create oil paintings of Kansas City in bright vibrant colors with thick oil paint applied with a knife most of the time. I’m currently doing a lot of experimentation with mark- making trying different processes and different ways of applying paint but still keeping to my theme of places that I love like the city and national parks, or images from my travels overseas
People who want to collect my work can visit the studio to see what I have, order a commissioned piece of brand, new art, or they can purchase affordable prints off my website.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Passion plays a part, but grit trumps everything. I would say discipline, but I don’t feel like I have the best discipline in the world. Grit beats discipline because when you have a bad day, you don’t give up you just try again tomorrow. I can take a hit and start completely over as many times as I need to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.vanessalacy.com
- Instagram: @vanessa_lacy_
- Facebook: https://Www.facebook.com/vlacy
- Youtube: @paintingwithvanessalacy
