Search:

Artist Profile: Elaine (Laney) Haake

Elaine (Laney) Haake

4917 W 131 Terr
Leawood, KS 66209

Email the Artist

 

Bio:

ARTIST STATEMENT Growing up in Kansas City, I lived mere blocks from the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. As a young child, I would wander the halls fascinated by all the artwork and wondering about the people and places portrayed in the paintings. Those visits to the Nelson instilled in me an early love of art and desire to create art myself. As a self-taught artist, I am on a journey of continual learning and self discovery. I credit many artists for contributing to my art education and I am deeply grateful for their instruction and encouragement. I believe painting from life has been one of my most important teachers. Each new painting is an authentic effort to share the beauty of God’s creation as I strive to capture a moment in time and transport others to a place of discovery and reflection. Whether painting a landscape, historical landmarks or portraits of the people I have met in my travels, I find beauty and meaning in it all. I want to communicate that in my work and love to share it with others. Biography Elaine Haake, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, was raised in a large, close-knit family. Her earliest memories are of her father’s Coca-Cola-inspired Santa Claus paintings on the large mirror of the family’s entryway at Christmas. Her mother says that her Kindergarten teacher’s main observation was that Elaine ‘colored outside the lines”. Early trips to Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art would introduce her to the world of fine art. Seeing the artwork of other children her age displayed in the lower level of the museum sparked her imagination. If only….she thought. Elaine earned an MBA from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and spent 22 years as a director of an international nonprofit. She found great fulfillment in her work and in raising her family. When she could carve out time from her busy schedule, she sought out art instruction through community college courses, workshops and independent study. Since retirement in 2015, Elaine has been able to pursue her art in earnest. She credits artists, Phil Starke, Al Currier, Slava Korolenkov and Dan Gerhartz, with significant contributions to her art education. Elaine has experience in a variety of mediums including graphite, pastel and oils. Today, she focuses almost exclusively on oil painting. She enjoys working en plein air and in her home studio finding inspiration in a wide variety of subject matter. She has been accepted to various juried exhibitions and has won recognition along the way. Elaine and her husband, David, split their time between their home in Kansas City and their ranch in the Missouri Ozarks. Their 3 grown children and 9 grandchildren all live nearby. Family, friends and co-workers often refer to her by her childhood nickname of ‘Laney’. Memberships Oil Painters of America Portrait Society of America National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) Outdoor Painters Society Heartland Art Club