Seventy-one-year-old artist Uschi Lanier wasn’t inspired to add colors to her artwork until she moved to Florida. 

“The life here and subtropical climate, with its plants and birds, somehow it all fits in a way that made me want to use color,” she says. 

Uschi began her journey as an artist in Germany, where she was born. She grew up in a house brimming with art —her grandfather was a painter who liked to draw and her mother did opera training. 

Uschi herself learned to draw in elementary and middle school art classes. 

She started mainly using pencil and black and white charcoal as mediums for her artwork. From there, she occasionally found time to create art while working on obtaining her education degree. 

After graduating in 1982, she met her husband, David, who was in the United States Army and stationed in Germany. Uschi was a teacher at the time and would often try to find ways to incorporate drawing into her curriculum. 

In 1984, the couple moved to Cape Coral, FL. There, Uschi became part of the Cape Coral Art League and attended adult art classes. She was finally at a point in her life where she could focus more heavily on her art. 

“Being retired at the age of 50, I was looking for something to put my energy into,” she says. “I had my first solo exhibition that featured seven of my pieces showcased in a bank in Cape Coral.” 

Uschi’s friend Diane Clark wrote poetry that accompanied her artwork and the two ended up putting an exhibition together. 

Uschi draws inspiration from photographs she takes of subjects that catch her eye, subjects that metaphorically speak to her when she’s out and about. She also enjoys painting portraits and seascapes. 

In 2013, she moved to her current home in The Plantation at Leesburg. She often showcased her work in art exhibits at Florida Plus Realty in Leesburg where the artists all shared the space as a gallery. 

Today, Uschi still participates in classes and a few shows. Her most recent accomplishment is winning best of show in the 28th Annual Plantation Fine Arts Festival. 

When she’s not creating her next masterpiece, Uschi enjoys golfing and swimming.