Painting a Picture of Giving

According to Keene’s Pointe resident Ingrid Volan, her son, Lance, loves sports. His favorite is basketball, but he enjoys football and baseball, as well.

Art originally appeared as a one-time blip on the 11-year-old’s radar. About a year ago, Lance unexpectedly created a multicolored, splatter-style painting for his 22-year-old sister, Erin, a student at the University of South Florida. His family was impressed.

“His dad and I are so incredibly proud of him,” Ingrid said. “He made one out of the blue a year ago for his sister. She comes and visits Lance frequently from college. She just loved it.”

Despite the striking results, it remains a mystery what inspired Lance to create such a unique piece.

“We’ve been asking and asking where he learned [his] technique, and he says he doesn’t know,” Ingrid said. “He just wanted to try splattering paint on a canvas and just started doing it. The result was beautiful.”

During a recent family trip to the 52nd annual Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Lance was again inspired to create his special art and even hoped to sell it. Touched by their son’s idea, his parents suggested that he create artwork for charity.

“At church, our family has been learning the importance of doing and giving to help others,” Ingrid said. “When Lance said he wanted to do his art, we suggested doing it for charity. We talked about perhaps doing it for the tsunami victims. He really liked the idea and decided that all the money from his paintings would go to help the people of Japan.”

Lance’s father, Greg Volan, is delighted in his son’s empathy for others.

“I am so proud of our son, Lance,” Greg said. “He has such a good heart and really felt bad when he saw what happened in Japan.”

For Lance, selling paintings for charity made perfect sense.

“I thought it was a good idea, because they need help,” he said.

He immediately got to work making his art, which he creates freehand using two squirt bottles filled with premeasured portions of acrylic paint. Each painting takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

“I think people really like Lance’s art,” Greg said. “And I think they really like Lance in general. He is a good kid, and I think what makes his art so attractive to others that know him is that he wants them to be a part of what he is doing. He says that God has given him this gift, and it is for him to use for a good purpose.”

Those around Lance have embraced his creativity. Classmates, teachers, coaches, family members, friends and neighbors have purchased original Lance Volan pieces. Clients of Ingrid’s, a local Realtor, have bought his paintings for vacation homes, and her office even displays one in its main entrance.

“He sells the paintings for $20 and asks people to pick two colors they would like for their painting,” Ingrid said. “A lot of people like to pick their school colors or their favorite professional sports teams’ colors … I asked him to make one with royal blue and black for the Orlando Magic.”

Lance’s school, Windermere Elementary, has also been supportive of his efforts.

“His teacher and classmates have cheered him on and supported him in a beautiful way,” Ingrid said. “For him to get recognized like this is really cool.”

And Lance’s efforts paid off when he made his first donation to the American Red Cross of Central Florida in Orlando. He sold 30 paintings and donated $600. His personal goal is to raise $1,000 for the relief efforts in Japan.

“He had the biggest smile on his face,” Ingrid said. “One thing he did ask was if he could hold all of [the money] together. It was the most money he had seen all at once. It was interesting for him, as a kid, to grasp that concept. For him to feel like, ‘I did that.’ It gave him the biggest sense of accomplishment.”

Though timid at first, Lance quickly understood just how good it feels to give back.

“At first I was nervous, but then they were nice, and I felt good, because we raised a lot of money,” Lance said. “When I reach my goal, then I want to help the victims of the Mississippi flood, too. And then whoever needs the most help at the time.”

And Lance has another aspiration. He hopes to one day display and sell his art at the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival.

“I would feel very, very, very good, and I would love to,” Lance said. “It would make a lot of people buy my art, and it would help Japan.”

Ingrid hopes her son’s generosity will spark the same kindness and selflessness in others.

“I hope this is one of those little stories that inspires us all,” Ingrid said. “That no matter how old we are, we can all make a difference one step at a time.”



Lance is currently accepting custom orders. To order one of his paintings or for more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .