“Snow on the Creek” by Leana Fischer of May We Fly, watercolor on paper, 16x20. 

ON THIS PIECE:

 “This piece was inspired by an early morning walk one snowy morning along a stream by our home in Fayetteville. My hope was to capture the wonder and stillness I felt in that moment when the earth, and my soul, were quiet.”

ARTIST BIO:

Leana Fischer, the artist behind May We Fly, makes artwork to celebrate the wonder of the little things in everyday life and to encourage others to notice the beauty in their own stories. The name May We Fly comes from her wish for all of us: that we’ll live in alignment with our deepest values and share our gifts with the world.

May We Fly took root in 2013 after leaving a job in architecture to move from Virginia to Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her husband, Dan. With a bit of extra time on her hands during this period of transition, she began to realize that painting wasn’t just a hobby. Little by little, one piece at a time, she began the long, winding journey toward becoming a full-time artist.

Painting remains her true calling: her true expression of joy, sincere offering and enthusiastic invitation. She works mainly with watercolor because it feels most natural in her hand. It has a language all its own, one that she is certain she will be learning for a lifetime. The elements behind it — pigment, water, movement — all point directly to her deep love of the natural world. 

After a decade as a painter, she can see how profoundly art has enriched her life — not only through the joy it brings her, but because of the connections she's made with so many kindred spirits. May We Fly has grown from a tiny website into a business that has allowed her to share her artwork with people around the world, teach hundreds of students through in-person and online watercolor workshops and partner with wonderful brands like Terrain, Trader Joe’s and Hallmark.

In 2022, Dan, Leana and their pup, Buford, made the bittersweet decision to move back to the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, where she now works and paints out of her home studio. 

She will always be grateful for her years in Arkansas as the place that nurtured her early days as an artist and connected her to a community that believed in her from the very beginning.

See more of Fischer’s work locally at Bella Vita Jewelry and Cabbage Rose Florist, online at maywefly.com and on Instagram as @mayweflydesign.