About Leana - May We Fly's Portfolio

Hello!

My name is Leana Fischer, and I am a watercolor artist and illustrator working out of my home studio. I paint my world as a practice of noticing and delighting in the small, simple things that make it beautiful.

My hope is that my work might add beauty to people’s lives, but also inspire them to cultivate a life that is aligned with their gifts and values.

In 2014 I began a fine art and stationery brand called May We Fly, which is filled with products that celebrate the wonder of the little things and encourage others to notice the beauty in their own stories.

My art practice has grown from a tiny online shop into a business that has allowed me to share my artwork with people around the world, teach hundreds of students through in-person and online watercolor workshops, and partner with wonderful brands like Terrain, Trader Joe’s, and Hallmark.

I live with my husband Dan, daughter Wilomene, (and our pup, Buford) in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

The May We Fly Studio

The May We Fly studio began in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2013. My husband and I had just gotten married and moved there for him to begin a PhD program. We lived in a charming, drafty old house where we shared a tiny office that was divided by a bookshelf.

I have such fond memories of those early days, with my makeshift desk and tiny watercolor set from college. Slowly but surely, I started to paint and to dream, and the idea of May We Fly was born.

Virginia Studio, 2023

Arkansas Studio, 2019

Four years later, in 2017, I made the terrifying step to move into my very own studio outside of my home (pictured upper right). This tiny concrete room was the beloved home of May We Fly for 5 years. So much growth happened in this space, as I continued to paint, dream, and watch my fledgling business turn into something real.

In 2022 we decided to buy a 100 year old home and move back to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the land where I grew up, and where we had met and married. Leaving Arkansas was very bittersweet, but returning home has been such a joy.

My studio is now in our house (pictured upper left). Most days my pup, Buford, sleeps on his bed behind me while I paint and watch the birds outside my window.