Lani Tanaka

Bio: I recently resumed my painting career after a ten year hiatus following the birth of my nine year old daughter. I originally moved up to San Francisco to paint full time and get my MFA at San Francisco Art Institute, and I stayed because I fell in love with this little city. I waitressed, painted, won a residency fellowship at the Millay Colony in upstate New York, showed around the country and internationally, and had a great gallery here in town. Then I took ten years off.
Over the last ten years, I have changed and my paintings have changed as well. My mother said something to me last year as I was revving up to get my hands dirty again, “Don’t paint so personally, paint things that are more public.” That was the only suggestion that she had ever made about my work, except for objecting to all the nudes during my student days. Then she added, “Slow down” and something else I cannot remember. I didn’t give her comments any further thought, but as my mind quieted in the studio I found that I am doing exactly what she said. It is a first.
I paint my everyday life here in San Francisco - the dogs, seagulls, pelicans. I pick items that provide glimpses of all my favorite places, the Mission District, Bernal Heights and Fort Funston. By juxtapositioning these images, I have fun creating new meaning and vague narratives. I am still painting my private life, but with a more public and universal approach.