Watercolor is an artform that offers a unique blend of control and spontaneity. It’s why Arina Lanis of Lanis & Co, a small business in Chesterfield, uses watercolor to make St. Louis-themed prints, like those dedicated to The Gateway Arch National Park and St. Albans Country Club. “[Watercolor] allows me to capture a feeling, a place and a moment all at once,” she says. “I hope when someone sees my work, it brings them back to a moment, a season of life or a place that mattered to them.”

Lanis began her business with a small painting studio in St. Albans. Shortly after, a local restaurant owner, Datra Herzog, invited her to rent a small 200-square-foot room inside her restaurant, Head’s Store, to showcase and sell her artwork. It was an unexpected opportunity that allowed her art to be seen in a new way, she recalls. While there, she also started teaching art classes. “That experience became a turning point for me,” she says. 

It was then that Lanis realized people weren’t just interested in purchasing art: they deeply wanted to be part of the creative process. “They wanted to make art, not just admire it,” she says. “They also wanted all the benefits that creating art allowed—a form of quiet medicine, softening the breath, slowing the heart, easing tension in the body and creating space for the nervous system to reset.”

For Lanis, this discovery shaped everything that came next. She opened a larger store and painting studio, where she could welcome more students and create a space that was more accessible. “What started as a small studio evolved into a place where creativity, community, mindfulness and learning could all come together,” she says. At this new location, she has been able to teach beginner watercolor classes, which include watercolor markers, watercolor pencils and watercolor paints. 

However, as with her art, her teaching has been about showcasing the healing and transformative power of watercolor. It is never just about the finished piece, she says. “It’s about the experience of creating it. The artwork is simply the byproduct of the moments spent exploring, slowing down and allowing yourself to be fully present in the process.”