Shayna Skolnik was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada, raised in a suburb of Washington, D.C., and spent several years living in southern Spain. She began drawing and painting at an early age and was generously encouraged by her parents to develop her natural abilities.

Shayna’s paintings are strongly influenced by her eclectic background and her personal vision of the world as essentially a positive and joyous place. Many of her works depict scenes from everyday life, and her favorite subjects include family-run shops, cafes, restaurants (especially kitchens), old bars, people working, and people in cafes. She also likes to paint scenes from nature, such as skies and landscapes from her native PEI and her adopted home in Spain. Her favorite painters include Sorolla, Pisarro, and Sargeant.

Watercolor and watercolor and ink are Shayna’s chosen mediums. She feels that the spontaneous nature of watercolor suits her energetic personality. Her goal is not to reproduce a scene exactly, but rather to convey the overall feel of a place and the inherent joy that she finds in her subjects.

Shayna currently resides in Sevilla, Spain, and Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. She divides her time between the two countries and actively exhibits in both Europe and North America.