Elaine ‘Laney’ Haake, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, was raised in a large, close-knit family who lived mere blocks from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Early trips to the museum would find her wandering the halls fascinated by the artwork and wondering about the people and places portrayed in the paintings. Those early visits to the Nelson instilled in her an early love of art and a desire to become an artist.
While raising a family and working as the director of Unbound, an international
nonprofit, Haake never lost sight of that goal. She would carve out time from her busy
schedule for art instruction and would often paint late into the night.
Since 2015, Haake has been working as a full-time artist finding inspiration in a wide
variety of subject matter. She participates in plein air events around the country and
enjoys developing larger paintings in her home studio. She has been accepted into
many local and national juried exhibitions and has won recognition along the way.
Haake has an MBA from Rockhurst University and has traveled extensively. She and
her husband, David, split their time between their ranch in the Missouri Ozarks and their
home in Leawood, Kansas where they are members of Church of the Nativity. Their 3
grown children and 9 grandchildren all live nearby. Family, friends, co-workers and
collectors often refer to her by her childhood nickname of ‘Laney’.
More information and available artwork can be found at:
ElaineHaake.com
Inspired by the people I meet and places I visit, I am moved by what I see and
experience. With paint and canvas, I set out to share those experiences with others and
introduce them to the stories of people they might not otherwise meet. Whether painting
a landscape, historical narratives or portraits of the people I have met in my travels, I
find beauty and meaning in it all and want to communicate that through my work.