Ivana Mlinar

Inspired by her desire to learn more about the skill of painting, Ivana spent years studying Italian Renaissance art in Florence, Venice, Padua, Pisa and Verona from the years of 1975 – 1979. Upon completing this early training, she studied at the University of Split in Croatia where in 1984 she earned a Masters in print- making and the history of Medieval Arts. In 1986, just years out of school Ivana became a member of Croatian Association of Fine Artists and since than participated in a number of juried art exhibitions.

Ivana currently lives off the coast of Florida with her husband Frane Mlinar, an accomplished artist himself. Her current work is inspired by her love of nature. Her recent bird series display beautiful detailed birds over abstracted backgrounds, combining her love for two distinctive styles of painting.  She describes abstraction as pushing her boundaries in the pursuit to create an image that looks and feels spontaneous, challenging her traditional approach to painting.  Her paintings aim to encourage viewers to pause and delight in the beauty of everyday life and the feeling of freedom that soaring birds stir in all of us.