“My paintings are inspired by the warmth, freedom and quiet of the California lifestyle. While water and the figure are recurring themes, what I am quite often drawn to is a feeling -- the way the sunlight moves across the water, the calm of a California afternoon, and those fleeting moments that become lasting memories…”
Sylvana Lankshear is a British-born contemporary artist based in Los Angeles. For more than two decades, she has been dedicated to painting the people, places and light that define the California landscape.
Working primarily in oil, her paintings explore the relationship between figure, water and atmosphere. Whether depicting the quiet rhythm of the shoreline, the luminous reflections of a swimming pool or the energy of an urban skyline, her work is driven by a fascination with light and the emotions it evokes.
Known for her clean painterly approach and thoughtful use of color, Sylvana seeks to simplify each composition into strong shapes, subtle tonal relationships (which she likes to describe as an artist’s ‘musical notes’), to capturing moments of quiet beauty.
Her recent work reflects an ongoing exploration of water as both a visual subject and a metaphor for memory, movement and connection.
Originally from London, Sylvana has made Southern California her home for many years. She continues to develop a distinctive body of work inspired by the coastal lifestyle, where sunlight, water and the human presence come together to create images that feel both contemporary and timeless.
Her paintings are held in private collections internationally, and she welcomes inquires regarding original works, commissions and available limited editions.