Anna Lisniak / artist bio
Anna Lisniak is a Ukrainian-born abstract artist who now resides in Vancouver, BC, after moving to Canada in 2022. Although she’s been into art since early childhood, Anna's journey as a professional artist began in 2015, following the emotionally challenging times that ultimately led her from a 15-year career in product design to a path of self-alignment through art.
Her signature style is defined by the multilayered bold strokes of glass paint, her medium of choice, which aim to highlight the vibrancy, versatility, and uniqueness of the viewer's authentic self. Each work promotes an idea of freedom to be one's true self — a sentiment she hopes to share with her collectors.
My story
As long as I can remember, I've been either painting or writing. Since the age of 4, my room in an old Kharkiv (Ukraine) apartment was covered in my watercolor, gouache paintings, pencil drawings, and other paper crafts. And if you ask me now — I'd say that as children, we are much wiser than we are as adults. Kids don't overthink; they act as they feel, they do what's natural to them — and that is exactly the gift they have. Sadly, most of us growing up tend to forget those childhood aspirations, finding ourselves in something more trendy and socially acceptable. So did I, merging my passion for trying to make sense of how this world works with a creative spirit into the UI/UX design career.
In 2015, I was a design executive at a steadily growing design agency, meanwhile feeling heartbroken, and depressed, feeling the worst I have ever felt in my life. One day, feeling desperate, I took a canvas I've been keeping for years, a few bottles of glass paint, and a nail polish, and created my first expressive piece. That was a turning point for me, making my first step on the road to self. I never stopped painting since then.
In 2019, I launched a limited collection of silk scarves with my art prints. Still, while being in Ukraine, I couldn't grasp the idea of me as an artist being anything more than my secondary alter ego.
The 2022 Russian invasion uprooted me and numerous other Ukrainians from our homeland. Following months of relocation, I settled in Vancouver, BC, Canada in May 2022, marking a fresh start. This detachment from my past life clarified my priorities: the value of my close ones and embracing my authentic self. I strive to reflect this universal truth in my art, underscoring the beauty of imperfection and the importance of recognizing our true selves in each other.
PHILOSOPHY & Art
I was born with an insatiable curiosity, always wondering why things work the way they do. Why do people get angry at each other? Why is there so much pain in the world? What must one do to feel safe and loved? Why are there so many structures and rules that don't make sense? It took me nearly 40 years of questioning to figure out the key to making things right: embracing our true selves.
Understanding who you are, distinguishing your true self from your history, societal structures, and fears, is the only thing that brings the peace, love, and safety we are all seeking. The problem is, we've been searching in the wrong place. We've been taught to look outside ourselves when the answers, the truth of our identity, can only be found within. This is the essence of my art. Almost 10 years ago, it guided me on my path to realizing who I truly am. Now, I want everyone who looks at my work to see a reflection of themselves, to recognize their own truth, their own being, their own essence.
I intentionally leave the edges of most of my pieces unpainted. I want them to remain as raw as we all are. Each painting holds a small message, a reminder for its owner. It's a little something that I believe will potentially be hidden under the frame, but will continue to remind them to look within for answers. Think of it as a good luck charm.
Each of my paintings is a journey— a multilayered journey to self. Choose one that resonates with you. May it bring the change you're searching for, may it guide you to your true self in full embodiment, in your fullest expression.
Be as you are. Because you are love. All of you.
