Vanessa Lacy, a distinguished Kansas City artist, has gained recognition for her dynamic palette knife oil paintings that depict the vibrancy of urban landscapes. Through bold strokes, rich textures, and a striking use of color, she transforms city scenes into vivid expressions of movement and life. 

Born and raised in rural Missouri, Vanessa displayed an early passion for art, leading to a B.F.A. in Drawing and a B.S. in Art Education at Missouri State University, Springfield. During her time in college, Vanessa honed her skills in plein air painting and worked as an artist for Brass Pro Shops. In 2009, Vanessa earned a Master's in Education while teaching art for the Belton School District. After a decade as an art educator, she transitioned to painting full-time in 2015.

Vanessa's signature technique revolves around the use of the palette knife, a tool that allows her to apply thick, impasto layers of oil paint which is then mixed with cold wax medium. The thick paint coats the surface of the panel with a consistency similar to cake frosting. This method creates a sculptural quality within her paintings, with bold expressive strokes that enhance the energy and texture of her paintings. Unlike traditional brushwork, the palette knife allows Vanessa to build dimension and depth, making the viewer feel the pulsing energy of the city and gives the illusion of movement in the stationary architecture. 

One of the most striking elements of Vanessa's work is her mastery of color. By utilizing a vibrant, exaggerated palette to depict urban environments, Vanessa creates a dreamlike atmosphere. Her paintings often feature warm oranges, fiery reds, deep purples, and electric blues, bringing a surreal quality to her urban landscapes. 

Vanessa's color choices serve in capturing the changing surroundings of urban spaces, from the pink streaked sunset skies to the neon reflections of streetlights on wet pavements. Her high-contrast compositions magnify the interplay between artificial and natural light, making the city feel both familiar and fantastical. 

Likewise, Vanessa's ability to translate emotion through her paintings with color, invoking feelings of nostalgia, and warmth, infusing stories of light, time, and memory.

Vanessa's paintings adorn corporate offices, private collections and public spaces across the region, including a major commission of eleven-large scale paintings for the University of Kansas Medical Center. Other collectors include: CrossFirst Bank, the Cerner Corporation, Bardavon Health Innovations, Kingsland Dempsey Law, and MBL Development. 

Through her palette knife technique, bold color choices, and passion for urban life, Vanessa continues to redefine how we see the city around us. Her paintings invite viewers to engage with Kansas City in a new way, one that is alive with texture, light, and emotion and serves as a vivid testament to the beauty and vibrancy of the urban experience. 

You can meet Vanessa in person at our Spring Show on April 25th from 6-9 PM. Don't forget to live inspired. -HC