[2] Her time in Paris left a lasting impression on Vanston's work, including the use of primary colours and a strong Cubist influence.
Vanston belonged to what the critic Brian Fallon the "Franco-Irish generation of painters who looked to Paris", along with Mainie Jellett, Evie Hone, and Norah McGuinness.
Her time spent living in Costa Rica in the late 1920s and early 1930s imbued her work with tropical and highly toned colours.
In Dublin in 1935, Vanston exhibited 17 paintings, largely Costa Rican landscapes, at Daniel Egan's gallery on St Stephen's Green.
[3] Meeting the English artist Basil Rakoczi, who was also living in Dublin during World War II, led her to become associated with The White Stag group.
In 1945, her work was featured in a White Stag exhibition in London of young Irish painters at the Arcade Gallery, Old Bond St.[2] In 1947, Vanston spent almost a year in Costa Rica where she painted primarily in watercolours.