Each sculpture begins with one line.
And that line never ends.
I do not sketch or plan a sculpture in advance. Instead, I draw one line directly on the stone. One line, one movement.
Sometimes it comes to me easily. Sometimes I walk around a block of marble for hours, red crayon in my hand. Sometimes I begin drawing on the stone months before I make the first cut.
Eventually, I choose the line I trust. I take a leap and let my blade follow it.
I carve until the form feels right in my body. I remove my gloves, close my eyes, and press my palm against the cold stone, tracing the line. I study the way the sculpture’s lines move through space. Sometimes my hand follows an invisible surface as I imagine a form that does not yet exist.
Then I draw another line. My crayons are red, and the white stone bleeds.
The process does not end when the sculpture is complete. Only then do I begin to sketch. Each sculpture generates its own messy sketchbook: drawings through which I deepen the understanding of what intuition have already found.
Within those pages, the next line and the next movement begin. A line from the finished sculpture enters the sketchbook, then reappears on the next stone. The red marks on the marble are long gone, but my practice remains one invisible, continuous red line connecting one sculpture to the next.
And that line never ends.
I do not sketch or plan a sculpture in advance. Instead, I draw one line directly on the stone. One line, one movement.
Sometimes it comes to me easily. Sometimes I walk around a block of marble for hours, red crayon in my hand. Sometimes I begin drawing on the stone months before I make the first cut.
Eventually, I choose the line I trust. I take a leap and let my blade follow it.
I carve until the form feels right in my body. I remove my gloves, close my eyes, and press my palm against the cold stone, tracing the line. I study the way the sculpture’s lines move through space. Sometimes my hand follows an invisible surface as I imagine a form that does not yet exist.
Then I draw another line. My crayons are red, and the white stone bleeds.
The process does not end when the sculpture is complete. Only then do I begin to sketch. Each sculpture generates its own messy sketchbook: drawings through which I deepen the understanding of what intuition have already found.
Within those pages, the next line and the next movement begin. A line from the finished sculpture enters the sketchbook, then reappears on the next stone. The red marks on the marble are long gone, but my practice remains one invisible, continuous red line connecting one sculpture to the next.
Marble resists, humbles, and mesmerizes. It teaches patience — and love.
About
Lana Maytak is a sculptor and visual artist working with marble, photography, textile, and mixed media. She lives and works between the United States, Europe, and Asia, maintaining long-term studio relationships, marble sources, and professional networks across these regions.
Education and Training
Born and raised in Siberia, Russia, Lana has lived in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States. She studied economics, statistics, and finance, and began her professional career in global development, working with the World Bank and related institutions.
She later transitioned into the technology sector, where she led Artificial Intelligence initiatives at Microsoft and taught graduate-level statistics and economics.
Raised by artistic grandparents, Lana was immersed in art and design from early childhood. She maintained an active artistic practice alongside her professional career until 2025, when she fully transitioned into full-time studio work.
Lana Maytak is a sculptor and visual artist working with marble, photography, textile, and mixed media. She lives and works between the United States, Europe, and Asia, maintaining long-term studio relationships, marble sources, and professional networks across these regions.
Education and Training
- Completed a marble sculpture course with Kyle Ann Smith in Pietrasanta, Italy
- Studied stone carving under Sabah Al-Dhaher at Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle
- Assisted and studied photography under Stuart Dee at Stuart Dee Photography, Vancouver
- Current instructor of Beginning and Continuing Stone Carving at Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle
- Group exhibition, The Form Gallery, Seattle, July 2026
- Solo sculpture exhibition, The Form Gallery, Seattle, 2025
- Group exhibition, LNM Shop, Seattle, June 2025
Born and raised in Siberia, Russia, Lana has lived in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States. She studied economics, statistics, and finance, and began her professional career in global development, working with the World Bank and related institutions.
She later transitioned into the technology sector, where she led Artificial Intelligence initiatives at Microsoft and taught graduate-level statistics and economics.
Raised by artistic grandparents, Lana was immersed in art and design from early childhood. She maintained an active artistic practice alongside her professional career until 2025, when she fully transitioned into full-time studio work.