Hi, I'm Ivana Tisler

Ivana Tisler is a multi-disciplinary artist who has had an entire lifespan of unique experiences from which she draws upon for her creative storms of self-expression.

She was born in Sarajevo to creative parents: her mom, a creator and designer who delved into many savvy ventures that Ivana looked up to greatly, and her father, a concert violinist. She lived in her birthing place until the beginning of the Yugoslavian war when her life changed forever. At the age of 9, she left both her parents while her grandmother and her sought safety beyond the terrifying perimeters of grenades, bullets and bombs. The war kept her separated from either parent for two years as she avoided entangling her flesh around the devices that dealt a person their last breath. In this period, Ivana was merely trying to meet her goal of another sunset. Her childhood days ceased abruptly. Life instantaneously changed the moment that first grenade hit and while chaos ensued all about her, she lost all sense of normalcy with her family and friends, and her home was obliterated by the apathetic and gluttonous war-machine. Food and water became sparse and was distributed strictly by the military engaged in the battle that was desecrating the most precious of the human emotions: hope. It was replaced with the daily trepidation that the destructive death machines inspired. This was not living. It was human-created disaster.

Ivana’s existence became a mantra reliant on faith. Her life, thanfully, was spared. However, her eyes and ears were not.

Images of people, places, and things burned into her memories. Tastes, smells, sounds, and sights impressed upon her. She was constantly meeting new people, learning new things, and exploring new places. These things are part of what makes Ivana such a dynamic and expressive creator. Ivana comments that “art has been seeping out of my veins, in one form or another,” but as she got older and she moved from country to country, learning languages and different education systems became the priority.

She rediscovered art attending the University of Alberta, but it was not until the recent recession in Alberta that her insatiable energy to create exploded and in the last year, she has drawn on her history to offer her impression of the world. It is truly stunning.

“I have discovered that beautiful things happen when you fully give yourself to something, and I have started creating works that with each day, grow and change, which feeds new ideas for future pieces.”

She has been part of an artist community for three years while showing and selling canvasses via Edmonton cafes and art galleries.

Check out her portfolio on this website and definitely tune in to her Facebook and Instagram feeds to find out about upcoming projects and showcases. To inquire about sizing, prices, shipping, and/or commission pieces, please do not hesitate to say “hello” because “art is the most beautiful gift you can give a loved one or a friend.”

Written by: Melissa L A Bishop