Artist Luana Luconi Winner
About Luana Luconi Winner
Luana Luconi Winner is a founding member and North Carolina Ambassador of the Portrait Society of America. She was schooled in Rome, Florence, Switzerland, and the USA, and her portraits and murals hang in corporations, universities, and residences on both sides of the ocean.
Luana's portraits and paintings in oil and pastel have won national and international recognitions and awards, including an international silver medal and "Best in Show" at the Richeson International Figure and Portrait Competition. She is currently the President of the Pastel Society of North Carolina and sits on several art boards.
Her articles have appeared in International Artist Magazine, Artist Magazine, The Art of the Portrait, Signature, The Folio, as well as regional publications and periodicals. In the annual edition of Studios Magazine (September 2010) by American Artist Magazine, Luana was part of the cover story "20 Top Artists Open Their Studios." She has authored four workbooks, twenty instructional DVD's on drawing and painting portraits in pastel, watercolor, acrylic, and oil, and has three series of brushes by Silver Brush.
In demand as an instructor, she has served as faculty for the International Association of Pastel Societies Conferences- Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the Portrait Society of America International Conference- Boston, Dallas, and Washington, DC, the American Artist Magazine Art Methods Conference - Pasadena, Pearl Paint Great American Art Event - New York City, Learning and Product Expo - Chicago and Pasadena, the Portrait Society of Atlanta, Cheap Joe's- Boone, NC, Jerry's Art of the Carolinas - Raleigh, NC. Go to http://www.winnerstudios.com/.
Interview with the Artist
How did you interpret using the Strathmore Thistle for the pad cover artwork?
Once the image of the young family was chosen for "Story Time," it was easy to see that the bedding and night clothes offered several opportunities to use the Strathmore logo. Therefore, a "rose" on the bedding quickly became the "Thistle."
Anything else you'd like to share about your piece?
It is my hope that the image is either instantly recognizable as a part of your own life today, or that it evokes a fond memory of your childhood...or perhaps a life you wish to have in the future.
How did the Strathmore paper you used for the project affect your drawing (or painting) techniques?
Toned paper is always my first choice for drawing. It permits me to work much like the way I paint both in oil and pastel. Starting with the darks to sculpt the form in the shadows and moving progressively into the lights to accent key details, I allow the middle tone of the paper to do some of the work for me.
Which artists inspire you?
Rather than pick out one or two artists, I would say that I am inspired by artists with European Academy training. As an American of Italian descent, I have great admiration for the long traditions of both the Italian and French Academies. Remember even Sargent, Degas, and so many others we admire all began their artistic lives at the Academy in Florence, Italy where they learned the basics of seeing.
What advice would you give to beginning artists?
Draw all the time. Fill reams of paper with drawings without worrying if they will be masterpieces. Draw to develop eye-hand-thought coordination. Draw to practice technique. Draw to record something interesting. Draw to remember something. Draw as you dream something up. All the time you are building your drawing skills, you will be developing your artistic voice as well, and this will come out in your paintings and sculpture later.
